Sink Or Swim
by SweetLikeSyrup58
Summary: No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape. No matter how many days were spent forgetting, the burden and pain always lingered. That was how Lucy lived her life and swimming only helped to numb those feelings, until she moved back to Iwatobi and saw those blue eyes that rivalled the water. Though he saw beauty in her eyes, she saw the demons of her past lurking in his.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I have too much story ideas in my head and this was one of them. I apologize for the cheesy title cause it was the only one I could think of :/. Hope you like it!**

* * *

 _When you dive into the water, you have two choices. Either sink or swim. So, which will it be?_

 _Sink?_

"You know dad said not to swim in conditions like this, right?"

 _Or swim?_

"I don't care."

"That's always what you say."

"Do you have a problem with it?"

The young woman continued to stare at the clear blue sky with a blank expression as her older brother let out a hearty laugh. Letting her feet touch the pool's floor, the woman shook the water out of her hair while she waded towards the shallow end. "Besides, it's already spring." she muttered and watched as he used his strength to pull her out of the pool.

"I know, but I swear you're gonna catch a cold one of these days. Honestly, dad warned you about this numerous times already." the older sibling said before letting out a tired sigh.

"So, Lucy. You're starting at Iwatobi High this year, huh? Time really does fly."

"..."

Kyle Hinukajin watched his younger sister stare out into the distance with the same blank expression he hated to see. "I heard they have a swim club here, too." Kyle added and still, Lucy refused to answer. Sighing, the blonde haired man approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing the woman to look at him with her cobalt blue eyes.

"Even if I joined, I still wouldn't be able to compete."

"Why's that?"

"There's no events I could compete in. They wouldn't let a woman compete in a man's event."

"Lucy. There's been talk about how your swimming could easily let you compete with men."

Letting out a scoff, Lucy folded her arms against her chest and stared her older brother down. "You know _she_ would've been happy if you joined the club." Kyle muttered as she walked past him brusquely.

Stopping at the doorframe, Lucy turned to look at him one last time before entering their home.

"News flash, Kyle. _Her_ opinion doesn't matter to me anymore."

And just like that, she disappeared into the house.

* * *

"Haru-chan! Wait up!"

"H-Hey! Don't just go running off like that, Nagisa!"

"Heh. Nagisa wouldn't just run off without telling us, Rei."

"But still. He shouldn't just do that!"

Makoto chuckled as Rei fixed his red glasses onto his face. The group of friends were on their way to school and were eager to see if the swim club had gotten any new members this year. Makoto saw Haruka, or Haru to others, stop in his tracks and stare at something intently with his blue eyes.

Following his gaze, the olive-brown haired man sighed and walked towards his childhood friend. "Water..." Haru muttered blankly and tried to enter the aquarium store with the intent of entering a fish tank, but Makoto stopped him. "Always eager to jump into any body of water huh, Haru?" Makoto joked and let out a laugh as Haru continued to stare at the water filled container.

"Oh no! If we keep standing here, we'll be late for school!" Rei exclaimed and the four men dashed down the sidewalk quickly in fear of being late on the first day of school.

When they arrived, everyone was practically out of breath. "Man...I've never ran so fast..." Nagisa panted as they stopped near the gates to catch their breaths. "Huh? Do you guys know who that car belongs to?" Rei wondered aloud after finally catching his breath and the group turned their heads to see a blue car parked at the entrance. "Now that you've mentioned it, I feel like I have seen that car before." Makoto mused and thought for a minute before a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Makoto!"

"Eh?! Kyle!" Makoto exclaimed and rushed over to give his friend a quick hug. "I didn't know you moved back to Iwatobi!" he added and the blonde haired man let out a joyous laugh. Nagisa, Rei, and Haru looked at one another in confusion then approached the stranger Makoto was talking to.

"Ah! Nagisa. Haru. Rei. Meet my friend, Kyle Hinukajin. We used to go to school together before he transferred in junior high." Makoto explained and the stranger smiled genuinely at the group. "Wait! Do you by chance know Annalise Hinukajin?! The record-setting female swimmer?!" Nagisa asked and Kyle saw wonder gleaming in his dark pink eyes, but the group failed to see the slight falter in his smile.

"Actually, she's my sister."

"No way! That's so cool!"

"Where'd she go? She hasn't swam an event in months!" Rei added and Kyle rubbed the back of his head sheepishly then smiled broadly. "She's on vacation right now. She'll come back in a few months or so." Kyle explained and Makoto quickly changed the subject when a silence fell over the group.

"What are you doing here at Iwotabi High? Didn't you graduate already?" Makoto asked and turned his head when he heard the car door slam close. "Well I came here to drop this familiar face off." the blonde answered and stepped off to the side to introduce his younger sister to the group. "Is this Lucy?! Goodness, she's grown so much!" the young man said as the woman looked at him with blank blue eyes.

"Oh my gosh! It's the aspiring Lucy Hinukajin! She set the new record for women's freestyle last month!" Nagisa exclaimed and Lucy hid underneath her hair in embarrassment at the sudden outburst. Haru was immediately interested in the conversation when his fellow teammate exclaimed this new student's previous achievement.

Her long, rose colored locks cascaded down her back like a waterfall while her cobalt blue eyes nearly matched the shade of his own. "You swim freestyle?" Haru asked the young woman and she nodded slowly before shifting her gaze to the ground. "She could probably join the swim club!" Rei added and Lucy shook her head in disagreement when the words left his mouth.

"I can't. There's no events for me to compete in."

"We'll find a way! Right, Rei-chan?"

"Of course!"

Haru stole a quick glance at the girl and saw that she had been staring at the ocean at the front of the school, something he would often do. "Has she been scouted yet?" Makoto asked his friend and Haru immediately saw the girl tense before shooting her older brother a glare that could've burned through anything.

 _'Why is she glaring at him?'_ the dark haired man wondered and turned to look at something else. "It looks like I have to go now. If you want to, can you show Lucy around the school? It would really help her out since I don't want her to get lost." Kyle mentioned before bidding all of them goodbye.

"Bye Kyle." Lucy said as she waved to her brother before turning towards the school gates.

"You've changed so much, Lucy. How long has it been since I last saw you?" Makoto wondered as they continued down the path towards the school's courtyard.

"Six years."

"How long have you been swimming for?" Rei asked the young woman and she thought to herself before answering his question. "Ten years." Lucy answered and clutched her backpack strap tightly as they passed by classroom after classroom. The group asked her casual questions as they navigated the halls perfectly and she would answer each question in a monotone voice.

"Have you swam competitively before?" Haru asked and she nodded quickly, but she never made any eye contact. "Do you know where Annalise is, Lucy? Some people are saying that she's supposed to come back this spring or summer." Makoto wondered and Lucy balled her hand into a fist before a sigh escaped her lips. "Just like what Kyle said. She's on vacation." the woman answered bluntly and continued down the hallway, leaving behind the now suspicious swim club.

* * *

After school, Makoto and Haru walked alongside one another with Lucy trailing behind. "Lucy? Do you think Kyle would be home by now?" Makoto asked and the young woman casted a quick glance at the ocean before turning to face the young man. "I think so." she answered and silence fell upon them once more. _'She was never this quiet when someone talked to her.'_ the olive-brown haired man noted and saw that the young woman had started walking a bit faster.

They followed Lucy to a two-story, white house and were greeted at the door by Kyle. "Welcome home, Lucy. Mom and dad are waiting for you in the kitchen." the blonde explained and Lucy gave him a grunt of acknowledgement. "Kyle, mind if we have a quick chat?" Makoto inquired as his friend ushered both of them and offered to take their bags.

"Sure! Why not?"

"Mind if we stay a little bit here, Haru?"

"Whatever."

Kyle quickly introduced Haru and Makoto to his parents, who greeted them warmly. The three men stepped onto the deck and immediately noticed Lucy floating on the pool's surface with her eyes trained on the orange sky. Haru noticed how straight her body was as she floated, her back stiff as a board and arms outstretched like a bird's wings in flight.

Grabbing a seat on the patio chairs, they watched as she swam to the shallow end and pulled herself out of the pool. Disappearing into the house, Makoto immediately got down to business.

"Kyle, have you noticed the change in your sister's behavior? She's never been this distant before."

Closing his bright green eyes, Kyle smiled and let out a small laugh as the two other men stared at him in confusion. "I thought nobody would notice but, it seems you have an observant eye, Makoto." Kyle mumbled as he quickly stole a glance when he heard his sister's voice echo from inside. Haru followed his gaze and saw that she was playing with their youngest sister Catherine, who pretended to be a damsel in distress.

"I guess it's time I told you what happened."

Letting out a long sigh, he told the tale of why his sister changed in behavior.

"Lucy and Annalise were the best of buddies back then. In fact, Annalise was the one who taught her how to swim and encouraged her to join a swim club. I was kinda jealous of how close they were to one another."

"Heh. That sounds just like the Lucy I used to know." Makoto admitted and looked out towards the city of Iwatobi. Haru remained silent as the two men talked and toyed with the strap of his backpack to ease his boredom.

"They were on the same swim team and Lucy never felt so proud to swim with her record-breaking older sister. Lucy always hoped to catch up with Annalise and hoped that one day, she'll be able to out swim her or break one of her records. Everyday, they'd train and help one another get better in their respective category."

"Was Lucy ever thinking about getting scouted?" Haru asked and Kyle nodded, but his once cheerful expression changed into a grim one.

"Lucy had dreamed of being scouted by an elite college in Tokyo and she promised Annalise that she would get scouted by them, no matter what. Then, that fateful tournament happened."

"Lucy was..."

"They were swimming with all the strength they had and when the competition was over, everything changed. An official told us that the college Lucy wanted to be in had scouted Annalise...not her. Then, they started fighting and all hell broke loose. Lucy demanded that she didn't accept their invitation to attend while Annalise always said that she wouldn't."

"Lucy became jealous of her, didn't she?"

"Yes, but jealousy wasn't the only thing she felt for Annalise. She began to hate her."

Haru realized that this was the reason why she had glared at him when they first met at the school gates. "Did she eventually forgive her?" the dark haired man asked and saw the older man shake his head. "No. It only grew worse. Every time a reporter asked her about being proud of Annalise's scouting, she's give them the cold shoulder or a deadly glare." Kyle explained and leaned back in his seat, the night sky illuminating his green eyes.

"Did Annalise feel guilty about it?" Makoto added and his friend nodded solemnly. "She felt nothing but guilt ever since. Then, on Lucy's sixteenth birthday, she told the family about accepting the college's offer on joining their swim team. I had never seen Lucy so mad after Annalise told us, but all I could see was the hurt in her eyes." the blonde continued and tilted his head to gaze at the stars.

"Did Annalise try to apologize?" Makoto wondered and imagined how hard it must've been to apologize for stealing your younger sibling's dream.

"She did on so many occasions. After her birthday party, Annalise tried to apologize to Lucy and told her that she would've refused no matter what, but Lucy didn't believe her. I could hear Lucy screaming and yelling at her older sister, but the worse thing she ever said to her was, 'I've cheered you on during every competition you participated and this is how you repay me? By stealing my dreams? Some sister you are.'"

 _'How could one invitation tear those two apart?'_ Haru thought to himself as he listened to the story. "That's horrible. I can't imagine anyone who has the heart to say that to their older sibling." Makoto murmured and turned to look at his friend with a sympathetic look.

"I guess after hiding it for so long, she finally had to snap. Then, she distanced herself from everyone who loved her. I don't know if Lucy will ever go back to that sweet girl I knew." the blonde mumbled and got up from his seat to smile gently at his friends. "I think getting Lucy to join that swim club will change her. It's the main reason why we moved back to Iwatobi. Please, can you guys convince her to join the swim club?" Kyle pleaded and the two teammates looked at one another before nodding in approval.

"Of course. Anything for a friend."

* * *

After leaving Kyle's house and walking back to his own, Haru couldn't stop thinking about the story Kyle had just told. _'Is she trying to swim away from her problems?'_ he wondered as his blue eyes stared at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity. "It'll take a miracle for someone like her to go back to who she once was." Haru muttered as he flipped to his side and shut off the lamp, blanketing the room in darkness.

Then, he started to think about what Makoto and him had talked about on the walk home.

 _"Haru?"_

 _"Hm?"_

 _"Do you think Lucy's gonna try for the swim club?"_

 _"Judging by her previous answers, she probably will never."_

 _A silence had hung over them as they climbed the stairs that led to their homes._

 _"Haru?"_

 _"What?"_

 _"Do you think Lucy will ever forgive her sister?" Makoto asked and Haru stopped in his tracks when he started to ascend the stairs._

 _"Imagine having your dream be stolen by a sibling. Imagine how betrayed you would feel when you realize that you worked blood, sweat, and tears for your dream and your sibling just whisks it away with no effort at all. Would you forgive them?" Haru asked his childhood friend and Makoto's eyes widened at his words._

 _"Haru..."_

 _"If I were in her place, forgiveness wouldn't probably cross my mind." Haru answered and climbed the stairs to his house, leaving a bewildered Makoto standing at the stairway._

"She'll never change her mind." Haru muttered and shut his eyes when exhaustion took over.


	2. Chapter 2

"Annalise!"

Sitting up on the bed, Lucy frantically looked around the unfamiliar room with erratic breaths as she struggled to calm herself. "Right..." she sighed and felt sadness stir within her stomach after realizing that she had snuck into Annalise's bedroom. After her disappearance, Lucy always found herself in her older sister's bed and would immediately leave the room to escape the memories she once shared with Annalise.

Burying her head in a pillow, Lucy smelled the familiar scent of her sister's shampoo and felt tears sting her eyes when she realized that even though they never got along, she missed her badly. Every night, she'd pray that it was all a nightmare that she would eventually wake up from but, time grew on and she accepted the harsh reality of her sister's disappearance.

"Lucy?" her mother called out gently and slowly entered the room with a worried expression on her face. "Mother..." Lucy murmured as she sat up on the bed and toyed with blankets as silence hung above the two women. "Did you fall asleep in her bed again, Lucy?" Mrs. Hinukajin asked and saw her daughter look away before slowly nodding at her mother's question. "You're not the only one who misses her, dear." she cooed and wrapped her in a loving embrace the moment she started crying.

"I-It's my fault she left. If w-we never had fought in the first place...she'd still be here." the young woman sobbed and held onto her mother tightly as the older woman consoled her. "It's okay to fight with your siblings, dear. Don't worry. She'll be home in no time at all." Victoria assured her and pulled away to look at her daughter with radiant violet eyes. _'No she won't.'_ Lucy thought and shifted her gaze to a picture on the nightstand. "You'll need to get ready for the tournament, Lucy. You don't want to be late." her mother explained and Lucy nodded as she got up from the bed to leave the empty room, gently shutting the door behind her as small tears trickled down her face.

After watching her daughter leave, Victoria took the picture from the nightstand and felt her heart ache with sadness as she gazed at the picture with a tear streaked face. Annalise was carrying a young Lucy on her shoulders while her first ever gold medal proudly hung around her neck. Both girls wore an expression of happiness and pride as she remembered the moment her husband had taken the photo.

"Annalise...please..." the woman whispered through choked sobs as her lip quivered at the thought of never seeing her eldest daughter again. Looking out the window, she muttered a silent plea before completely breaking down on the bed.

"...come home."

* * *

"Listen up, everybody!" Gou exclaimed as she arrived at the ITSC building with Coach Sasabe following behind her and a flyer in hand. "What's up, Gou-san?" Rei asked as the men jumped out of the pool and quickly made their way to the team's manager while drying themselves off. "There's a swimming tournament going on this afternoon and I was wondering if you guys wanted to come along and watch." Gou explained as she passed the flyer around so everyone could see. "Practice is pretty much over, so why not?" Makoto replied and the entire group rushed into the change rooms to get ready for the event.

 _A few minutes_ _later..._

After changing into their clothes and heading down to the local swimming arena, the group was stunned to see how many people had filled the stands for the event. "Wow! There's so many people!" Nagisa murmured as they searched for seats. Makoto noticed the Hinukajin family in the crowds and led the group towards them, wondering why Kyle had come to the event. "Kyle!" Nagisa called out and the young man turned to give the group a small smile before motioning them over.

After briefly introducing Gou and Coach Sasabe to the family, the group sat down by the family and eagerly chatted amongst themselves as they waited for the events to start. Haru lifted his head when he felt a hand brush over his knee and saw that little Catherine was leaning towards him as she stared with big violet eyes. "Are you onii-sama's friend?" the little girl asked and he nodded before shifting his gaze onto the pool when the female swimmers appeared on the deck. "The women's one hundred meter free-style event will commence in two minutes." an announcer declared and the crowd cheered for their respective teams as the women climbed up on the ledges.

"It's nee-san! It's nee-san!" Catherine exclaimed happily as she bounced on Makoto's lap. "Lucy's competing?" Makoto asked his friend and he nodded, pride twinkling in his eyes as the group watched Lucy stretch her arms. Her black swimsuit had intricate gold lines designing the sleeves and legs while her team's crest was sewn onto her chest. "Is there going to be a relay?" Rei wondered as he played with Catherine, who kept trying to take his glasses so she could wear them. "Swimmers! Take your places!" an official exclaimed and the swimmers climbed onto the ledges, backs arched as they held onto the ledge while their eyes remained trained on the pool.

"On your mark! Get set! Go!"

The official fired the gun and the swimmers jumped into the pool. The crowd cheered loudly as they watched Lucy surface and earn the lead.

"Go Lucy-chan!" Nagisa cheered as they stood up in excitement while cheering for the young woman. "She's already got a massive lead." Haru murmured as he watched the other swimmers struggle to catch up to Lucy, who was already near the halfway mark. "You can do it, dai shimai!" Catherine exclaimed and happily waved the flag that had her sister's team name sewn onto the fabric, which made Makoto lift her onto his shoulders so she could see. "Go go go!" Rei exclaimed and urged the crowd to cheer for the young swimmer, who had already turned and began the swim back.

"What team is she swimming on?"

"Hachiro High. The team came to swim with her one last time before heading back to Tokyo."

"Amazing! Lucy-kun's almost there!" Gou exclaimed and almost as if in response, the crowd cheered loudly for Lucy as she neared the finish line.

 _'Just a little further!"_ Lucy thought as she swam with all her strength. Slapping her hand against the finish line, she gasped for breath and turned to see her rank on the leaderboard. "Lucy Hinukajin lands another first place in the women's one hundred meter freestyle event! Is there anything she can't accomplish?!" an announcer exclaimed and the crowd cheered, filling the stadium with cries of joy and happiness.

Making her way to the stands, she spotted her family and the Iwatobi Swimming Club cheering and waving for her, pride written on their faces as they waved her team's flag in the air. "That was awesome Lucy! You've gotten a whole lot faster!" Makoto complimented and she blushed lightly, eliciting a small laugh from the older swimmer. "Nee-san! That was so cool! Those other swimmers couldn't catch up to someone as fast as you!" Catherine exclaimed and hugged her older sister's legs tightly, a wide smile on her face as she celebrated her sister's victory.

Haru couldn't help but notice that the girl was looking at the leaderboards with a deep scowl etched onto her face instead of paying attention to her younger sister's beaming face. With a clenched hand, she held onto her goggles and dug her nails hard enough to draw blood. Suddenly, reporters flocked around the woman and cameras flashed brightly as they took her picture while microphones were thrusted into her face. She struggled to answer each question as the numerous reporters fired question after question at her, causing her frustration to grow.

"You were five seconds over from beating your sister's record last year! Any thoughts?"

Clenching her fist, Lucy looked at the ground with a grim expression as the reporter waited for her answer. Not only did she hate it when anybody mentioned her sister's records or achievements, it annoyed her that they didn't care about her personal records and were only after Annalise's. "There's a rumor that Annalise will be returning this year. Is it true?!" another reporter questioned and like a high strung rope, she snapped.

"Why are you always asking me about Annalise?! _'Is she coming back?!',_ _'Where is she now?!', 'Are you swimming for her until she comes back?!'_ " Lucy yelled and the four men were taken aback by the sudden hostility. Just a moment ago, she seemed cool and happy. Now, she was far more hostile than they imagined. "We were just..." a reporter stammered and Lucy struck the man in the face, knocking him to the ground and causing the arena to gasp at her actions. "If you want to know every damn detail about her, why don't you all do me a favor and find her yourselves! I didn't come here to supply you with information about someone I don't care about anymore!" the pink haired woman spat and turned to leave the stands to prepare for the next event.

Makoto, Haru, Nagisa, and Rei stood there in shock as they tried to comprehend what had just happened. Haru could feel a slight jump in his heartbeat as her words echoed in his head, hinting at the bitterness she felt for her sister within. Feeling the need to follow her, Haru brushed past the stunned reporters and followed the woman into the halls, where three girls wearing the same outfit stood by the drink machine.

"Oh my goodness! Is that _the_ Haruka Nanase?!" a light blue haired girl exclaimed and the other two turned around, causing them to squeal uncontrollably. Haru looked past them and saw Lucy grabbing a drink from the machine, but the girls began to crowd around him and made it harder for him to keep an eye on Lucy. "Excuse me, ladies. I need to go talk with your teammate." he explained and brushed past them, causing them to pout and narrow their eyes at Lucy.

As he walked towards Lucy, he could hear the three girls whispering about their teammate and he wondered if the freestyle swimmer had ever heard the things those girls say behind her back.

"What would a guy like Haruka want from Miss Loner?"

"He's probably going to ask her out then turn her down."

"I dunno know about that, Tsubaki. He's probably going to ask her about personal stuff regarding Annalise."

"Nobody in the right mind would even think about mentioning Annalise to Lucy. Someone once said that she was so jealous of her older sister being scouted by that team in Tokyo, that they got into this huge fight and that's what made Annalise disappear." a girl murmured and one of them gasped in horror, their eyes flicking over to Lucy before turning away when she noticed the older swimmer looking at her.

"Even I wouldn't go that far."

"Someone also told me that the youngest of them doesn't even know who Annalise is!"

"I guess that's what happens if you're always living in someone's shadow."

Haru ignored them and grabbed a seat beside Lucy, whose gaze was focused on the floor as she drank the soda. "Congratulations on first place." he murmured and clasped both hands together, unsure of what to say next.

"I couldn't beat it."

"What?"

Lifting her head to stare at him with cobalt blue eyes, Haru could see the determination in them as he held her gaze for quite some time. "What couldn't you beat?" he asked and she showed him a sly grin, but the tears trickling down her face caused him to see past her facade. "Don't you see? I couldn't even beat my sister's record and set a new one. But, I'll beat her relay time. I swear to god I will." Lucy declared and determination shone in her once sad blue eyes.

 _It's like her attitude did a complete 180 in a blink of an eye._ Haru thought as she made her way to the three girls who had been gossiping about her. "Tsubaki. Hibiki. Misaki." the woman called out in a stern voice and the three straightened their backs at the mentioning of their names. "Y-Yes ma'am?" the light blue haired girl, Tsubaki, responded in a shaky voice as her superior's cold voice echoed in the hallways. Haru watched in awe as her usually blank face relaxed into a small smile while she patted each girl's shoulder.

"The relay will be starting in a few minutes so go and warm up. I expect your best performances since this is our last race together. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am!"

The three girls raced to the warmup pool and Lucy silently followed after them, her lips pursing into a thin line the moment her teammates left. "Lucy..." Haru called out softly and almost as if she heard him, she turned to look at him with her beautiful cobalt blue eyes.

He was rendered speechless. Could a human ever be born with such beautiful eyes as hers? "Those eyes are going to be the death of me..." he muttered as he held her gaze for what seemed like an eternity. Turning to leave, she broke away and left an entranced Haru standing in the hallway, his expression resembling a deer in the headlights.

 _But why do I want to drown in them?_

* * *

After winning gold in both the men's and women's four hundred meter relay race, the Hachiro High Swim Team gifted Lucy with a team picture and a bouquet of red and white roses. Rei, Gou, Nagisa, and Coach Sasabe bid the family goodbye and congratulated Lucy one last time before jumping into the coach's car and driving home. As they walked home, Makoto offered to carry the sleeping Catherine after noticing Mrs. Hinujkajin's tired face and though she politely declined at first, he assured her that he didn't mind. "She reminds me of Ren and Ran when they were younger." he mused as the blonde stirred in her sleep, her brow slightly furrowing as she struggled to find a comfortable position.

Haru walked beside Lucy as they watched numerous cars pass them by, their headlights causing shadows on the ground before disappearing in a flash. Keeping his eyes focused on the road, he felt something lean against him and saw the young woman, who looked about ready to fall asleep at any given moment, use his sturdy frame as support. "Lucy? Are you tired?" Kyle called out gently to his sister and she turned to look at him with tired blue eyes. "I'll carry you if you want. Think of it as re-living your childhood." he joked when she shot him a warning glare.

"I'm fine. Just a few more blocks to the house."

"If you say so..."

When they arrived, Makoto gently handed the sleeping little girl to her mother and thanked her for allowing them to spend the way with the family. Haru bowed before the couple and turned to leave with Makoto. "Hey, Kyle." Makoto called out and the blonde turned to look at his friend with his emerald green eyes.

"It was nice seeing Lucy smile like that today."

Casting a sideways glance towards his sister, Kyle couldn't help but let out a small smile as he watched the young men ascend the stairway to their homes. "It really was. It's only a shame that it doesn't happen often." he murmured sadly as he gazed at the moon, the pale moonlight illuminating his clear green eyes. Shaking his head, Kyle let out a soft sigh and quietly entered the dark home.

* * *

 **For those of you wondering what nee-san** **means, it's big sister in Japanese. Well, that's what I found on the internet. Anyways, this chapter intended some sort of interactions between Lucy and Haru, which I put in there...somewhere. See ya next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Lucy, we're going to be leaving for the airport in an hou and we need you to look after your sister really well. Is that clear?"

"Yes, mom. I'll take good care of Catherine during your trip." Lucy replied for the fifth time as she watched her parents prepare for their upcoming trip to Sendai and Kyle had been tasked with going to the city with them since he knew his way around. "You be good for your big sister, okay? Don't cause her too much trouble." Kyle warned her and ruffled her hair playfully, making the little girl giggle as she gazed at her older brother.

"When will you be back?"

"In a few days. Don't worry, squirt. We'll be back in no time."

"If you say so!"

"Come on, Catherine. Say bye to mom and dad." Lucy said as she walked to the doorway with her younger sister trailing behind her. "Bye mama! Bye papa!" she exclaimed as they watched their silver car pull out of the driveway and disappear down the road until they were a mere dot in the distance. Shifting her gaze out the window, Catherine found herself staring at the vast blue waters of the ocean and began tugging on her sister's skirt to get her attention.

"Big sister?"

"Yes, Catherine?"

"Can we go to the beach today? It's nice and sunny out!"

"I suppose there's no issue in that." Lucy murmured and watched her sister dart back to her room in search for her swimsuit. Then, she realized that Catherine acted just like she did when her older sister declared that they would be going to the ocean. _Now's not the time to think of the past..._ she reminded herself as she tied her hair into a ponytail after changing into a swimsuit.

"I'm ready to go!" Catherine announced and grabbed her sister's wrist the moment she saw her. Closing the door behind them, the two sisters walked down the steps and greeted neighbors along the way as they made their way to the beach. Holding onto her sister's hand, the little girl would point out objects that caught her eye and tried to get Lucy's attention by tapping her side. "Hey, sis. Do you think I'll ever be as good as you in swimming?" Catherine asked and looked up at her older sister with admiration gleaming in her eyes.

"Well. If you practice really hard and keep swimming, I would be more than proud to see you swim like me." Lucy replied nonchalantly and showed her sister a gentle smile, her blue eyes matching the same shade as the ocean. "That's not what the kids at school are saying..." the little girl murmured and shifted her gaze to the ground, sadness clouding over her as they approached the beach. "Catherine? Are they saying mean things about you?" the older girl asked and bent down to reach her eye level, worry etching unfamiliar lines onto her face and making Catherine feel guilty about worrying her sister.

"I-It's nothing that bad. Please don't worry about it, big sister."

"Catherine. What are they saying?"

There was no point in hiding it. Catherine knew that Lucy could practically see through her lies and she slumped her shoulders in defeat. "They're saying stuff like 'You're never gonna be as good as your sister' or 'You'll never win as much medals as her'." she explained and wiped her tears away with her arm. Taking both her wrists, Lucy gazed at her sister with softened eyes and shook her head in disapproval. "That's where we'll prove them wrong. I'm gonna teach you how to swim like me and then you can prove to them that you can swim just like your big sister." Lucy whispered and wrapped her sibling in a tight embrace.

"Let's do it!"

"That's my girl." the older girl exclaimed and quickly threw off her clothes before grabbing the kickboard she had grabbed before they left.

Stepping into the ocean, the warm water splashed against her legs and she let out a content sigh. Noticing that her sister hadn't jumped in, she saw the familiar frown that appeared on her face when she was nervous or afraid and quickly made her way to the little girl. "Catherine? Are you okay?" she asked in a gentle voice and saw her younger sibling shake her head frantically. "I'm scared." she replied, eyes wide with fear as she stared at the waves that crashed onto the shore.

"Hmm. Close your eyes and put your hands in mine." Lucy explained and Catherine did what she was told, placing her small hands in the woman's bigger ones. Slowly walking back, Lucy watched her sister's reaction as they slowly entered the ocean, the waves splashing against their legs as they continued a bit further. "Open your eyes now, sis." the older sibling murmured and Catherine's eyes fluttered open, taking in the scenery.

"Wow! The ocean really isn't that scary!" Catherine remarked and slowly withdrew her hands. The water had just reached her hips while it only came up to Lucy's knees and she fought back the urge to cling onto her sister's legs. "We're gonna start now, okay?" Lucy replied and watched as Catherine placed her hands hesitantly on the edge of the board. Though it seemed as if Lucy didn't care about her older sister, she cared deeply for Catherine and wanted to make sure their relationship wasn't tainted with her hatred towards Annalise.

"Catherine? Are you nervous? We don't have to do this today if you're not up to it."

"N-No. I do wanna swim like you it's just..."

"What is it?"

Biting her lip, Catherine clenched the board tighter and whispered the same words Lucy had said to her older sister.

"I'm just scared of letting go..."

Then, Lucy realized that this was the exact same spot Annalise and her had swam in when she was younger. A memory flashed through her mind and she shook her head, dismissing another painful memory trying to resurface.

"Catherine. I will never let you go and I promise to stay right where you can see me." Lucy declared and smiled gently at the blonde girl. "You promise?" Catherine replied in an insisting tone and looked at her sister's reflection on the water, her haunting blue eyes staring directly into her violet ones.

"Promise."

* * *

"Wanna go for lunch then come back and swim again, Catherine?" Lucy asked as she shook the water out of her hair, the tiny droplets splashing onto Catherine's face and causing her to giggle cutely. "Okay!" Catherine replied and held onto her sister's hand as they made their way up the stairs and onto the sidewalk. As they continued to walk to a nearby restaurant, Lucy's mind wandered and she found herself remembering the memory that had tried to resurface earlier.

 _The day was warm and the sun shone down on the beach as the waves rolled to the shore lazily, splashing against their feet and causing the younger girl to squeal in delight. "You ready for your super awesome swimming lesson, Lucy?" Annalise asked her younger sister as they stepped into the water slowly. Annalise stopped in her tracks when Lucy clenched her hand and took a step back, causing the older sibling to turn around and look at her sister with worry on her face._

 _"N-No..." Lucy murmured quietly and took another step back, fear gripping her heart as she continued to stare at the waves that_ _crashed onto the shore. Ever since she first laid eyes on the ocean, Lucy had a deep fear of being swept away by the ocean's currents and preferred the tame waters of the family pool. "You okay, sport?" the older girl asked and brought herself down to her eye level._

 _"I'm just scared of the ocean sweeping me away like the dust that mama sweeps away." she replied and let out a gasp when the water splashed against her legs, fuelling her fear even further. Annalise felt a tug at her heartstrings when her sister's words echoed in her ears repeatedly. The fringe that covered the right side of her face blew with the wind and allowed the younger sibling to stare at her older sibling's turquoise eyes in awe. Cupping her face with one hand, Annalise smiled at her sister and looked at her with a softened gaze._

 _"I would never let the ocean sweep away the greatest little sister the world has ever seen."_

 _"Do you promise?"_

 _"Sisters never turn their backs on each other." the brunette replied and linked their pinkies together, creating a promise both would fulfill no matter what._

"Nee-san!"

Without warning, Catherine had wandered onto the road in curiosity without Lucy's knowledge. "Catherine!" Lucy exclaimed and spotted an oncoming truck approaching her sister, unaware of the little girl who stood in the middle of the lane with fear freezing her in place. Without a single thought, the older sibling ran and pushed the little girl onto the sidewalk and out of harm's way, scraping Lucy's arms and shoulders on the concrete in the process. The truck sped past them and continued down the road, unfazed by Catherine's near death experience.

Onlookers watched in awe and began murmuring amongst themselves as they watched the two sisters stare at one another, but they couldn't see Lucy's eyes burn holes into Catherine's head. "Nee-san..." Catherine whispered and reached out to touch her sister's shoulder, but the firm grip on her hand caused the little girl to freeze once more. Lifting her bright blue eyes, the blonde could see anger burning in them and prepared to take on her sister's wrath.

"Catherine Rosaline Hinukajin...do you know how dangerous it is to wander onto the street like that?!" Lucy exclaimed and saw her sibling flinch at the sudden harshness of her voice. "I'm sorry, nee-sama..." Catherine sobbed and felt her sister wrap her in a tight embrace. "Don't you dare do it again. Don't you ever. Do you realize what could've happened if I didn't see you?!" she warned and pulled away to stare at her sister with a tear streaked face.

Seeing her sister's shaking body, she stood up and decided it was time to head home. "Let's head home, Catherine. That's enough swimming for today." the woman concluded and helped Catherine to her feet. The two sisters made they way home and left behind the murmuring crowds that had filled the streets after witnessing the older sibling's brave actions.

But, Lucy hand't noticed Haru standing in the midst of the crowd with a mix of shock and awe on his face. However, out of the dozens of people who had gathered to see what the commotion was, only he saw past the woman's anger and saw fear casting its spell on her.

* * *

News spread throughout Iwatobi like wildfire and almost everybody in town knew the story. Haru was on his way home from practice, thinking about the accident Lucy had prevented, when he noticed a figure sitting on the beach. Making his way down to the beach, he saw Lucy gazing out into the ocean with an unreadable expression on her face. The other thing he noticed was the numerous scrapes on her shoulders, drops of dried blood speckling her fair skin while dark scabs dotted the surface.

Grabbing a seat beside her, Haru called her name and he saw her eyes flick towards him before returning her gaze to the ocean. "I saw you saving Catherine today." Haru mumbled and clasped his hands together, listening to the sounds of the ocean waves crashing onto the shore and seagulls cawing in the distance. "I would've guessed." Lucy replied and drew her knees closer to her chest, silence hovering over them once more. As she continued to stare, the swimmer found himself studying her profile intently.

Her bright blue eyes seemed darker in the sunset, creating a shade he never knew existed. A lock of her rose pink hair was tucked behind her ear, revealing a faint flush on her cheeks. Her full lips would part and close, a simple action that made Haru feel a bit jittery. "You okay after what happened?" he inquired and she finally looked at him after countless minutes of silence, her eyes drawing him in and never letting go.

"Yes. It just stings at times." she answered and looked up at the sky, but the various shades of blue, violet, orange, and yellow couldn't compare to her own eyes.

"Lucy, are you really okay? Your shoulders are all scraped and you seemed a bit too harsh on your sister."

"I'm fine, Haruka." Lucy answered in an insisting tone and rested her chin on her knees, moving her gaze from the ocean to the sand where Haru had began drawing spirals. It felt strange to be called Haruka instead of Haru and the harshness of her voice took him aback, almost reminding him of an ocean during a storm.

"Is Catherine okay too?"

"Yes but she's a little shaken after what happened today."

"What caused you to do such reckless actions?" Haru asked and the pink haired woman sighed, leaning back and looking at the sky with her blue eyes. Sneaking a quick glance at the young man, Lucy remembered a lesson Annalise had told her before she disappeared.

"As an older sibling, it's pretty much your job to keep your younger siblings out of harm's way. No matter how dangerous the situation is, it's your responsibility to keep your siblings safe no matter what. Even if the consequences are devastating." she explained and felt the ocean breeze caress her cheeks lightly, exhaling as she listened to the familiar sounds of her childhood.

* * *

Catherine sat in the living room with Makoto watching over her like a parent. Earlier, Lucy had asked if he could drop by and watch over Catherine since she decided to go on a run to clear her head. He agreed willingly and watched over the little girl the same way he did with Ran and Ren when they were younger.

He had tended to the child's scrapes a few minutes ago and watched as she wandered over to the sliding glass door and gazed at the pool's still waters. The moonlight illuminated the soft ripples of the pool and saw the sadness in her eyes when she turned around to face him. "Is everything alright, Catherine?" Makoto asked and slowly made his way to her, dropping on one knee to meet her eye level.

"Does nee-sama hate me?" Catherine wondered as she turned her head once more to gaze at the pool. His eyes widened at her question and he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, eyes softening when he heard her sniffle and wipe her tears away.

"No no, Catherine. Your sister would never hate you. She loves you more than anything and you know that."

"But, I made her super mad earlier..."

Letting out a small sigh, Makoto led her to the couch and sat down next to her, stroking the top of her head as she leaned against him. "You see. When something bad happens to a person someone cares about, they often get mad at themselves because they couldn't find a way to stop it from happening. Your sister may have seemed mad at you, but really she was mad at herself for not stopping you from going onto the road." he explained and Catherine looked up at him with her violet eyes.

"Then, what would make her stop being mad at herself, Makoto-san?"

"Hmm. Why don't you give her a hug when she comes home? I bet she'd love that more than anything."

"You're right, Mako-san!" she exclaimed and jumped when she heard the door open. "She's back. Time to go for a surprise hug." Makoto laughed and they made their way to the doorway. "Nee-san!" the little girl called out and wrapped her little arms around Lucy's shoulders, taking the older sibling by surprise.

"Catherine..."

"It's okay. You don't have to be mad at yourself anymore."

"I..." Lucy stammered and did nothing but return the gesture with her own hug. When they pulled away, Lucy stood up and thanked Makoto for watching over Catherine, exchanging a quick friendly hug with the young man. "I'll see you at school then." she called out as the young woman watched Makoto ascend the stairs to his home.

After closing the door and making her way to her room, she found Catherine fast asleep on her bed with the covers wrapped around her little body. Her blonde hair had been removed from the pigtails she had worn all day and the golden locks fanned out on the bed, making a little ocean of golden waves. _She's already fast asleep and I don't wanna disturb her. I'll just let her stay the night here._ Lucy thought and climbed into her bed without waking the younger girl.

Shutting the lights off, she lulled herself to sleep and wrapped a protective arm around Catherine. The only thing that made her happy was the fact that she had just stopped history from repeating itself all over again.

* * *

 **A/N: Well this story is just stepping into feels territory so I guess expect the unexpected...? Anyways, this chapter was exploring the relationship between Lucy and her younger sister Catherine. I think. Anyways, see ya next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

The dismissal bell rung throughout Iwatobi High and students began to exit the building, some making their way to the subway to ride the train home. After picking up Catherine from school, Lucy found herself thinking back to what Haru and her discussed on the beach last night.

 _"You should come join the swim team, Lucy." Haru muttered as he slowly traced his finger on the sand, etching spirals onto the grainy surface. The woman turned to face him and let out a long sigh, the ocean breeze ruffling her hair while the moonlight illuminated her eyes._

 _"My brother told you to say that...am I right?" Lucy asked in a demanding tone and watched as the waves washed the designs Haru had drawn away, leaving behind a now blank surface. "No." he lied and got up from the ground, extending his hand to help Lucy up. They walked up the stairway and began the journey home. Cars whizzed by them as they walked, casting long shadows on the ground._

 _"I've already told you I can't join now, didn't I? There's no team for me to swim with and hardly any events to compete in."_

 _"We'll work out something with Miss Amakata. Just join the team for now and we'll handle the rest." he replied and let out a sigh. "Fine then." the girl said as she walked past him, her shoulders bushing against his as they passed._

"What is it with Kyle forcing me into things I don't wanna do?" Lucy muttered as she slid the main door open, letting the familiar scent of home fill her nose. She spotted a pair of her older brother's loafers tucked neatly to the side as she began to hide her own pair and schooled her features into a forced smile. "Onii-samaa~! We're home!" Catherine called out and sprinted towards him when his head peered around the corner, his features lighting up at the sight of his younger siblings.

"Catherine! Lucy! You guys are home early!" Kyle exclaimed as he bent down to give his younger sibling a hug. "Nee-sama and I took the train home instead of walking today!" Catherine replied as she pulled out her books from her bag, often turning her head to glance at her older sister. Taking a seat at the dining table, Lucy took a string of her pale pink hair and stared at the individual locks with a bored expression.

Shifting her gaze to her other siblings, she realized that Catherine, Annalise, and Kyle bore striking resemblances to their parents. Born with a head full of golden blonde locks, anybody knew Catherine and Kyle had inherited it from their father. Any onlooker who glanced at Annalise would know that the young woman had inherited their mother's beauty and her graceful frame, even though it seemed as if Annalise were adopted. Though Catherine and Lucy were the only ones who inherited both Justin and Victoria's eye colors, everybody knew that all four children were related to one another.

Taking a look at herself in the camera of her phone, the woman saw that her hair and eyes were the only traits she had inherited from her parents. Her sharp eyes didn't come close to resembling her father's and were far too different from her mother's. Some people say that she had also inherited her mother's frame, but Lucy knew that Annalise was the one who inherited her mother's voluptuous curves. Another trait she had inherited was her parents' love for water.

Her mother was a well known marine biologist while her father was a professional swimmer turned coach. Those who have met them knew of the family's close relationship with water, which also helped in the process of both Justin and Victoria meeting one another. All four children shared a deep love for water and has led the three older siblings to follow in their parents' footsteps. Kyle followed in his mother's footsteps and became a marine biologist while his two sisters, Annalise and Lucy, followed in their father's.

They knew Catherine dreamed of becoming a professional diver and encouraged her to train with Lucy, who taught the youngster how to dive and how to hold her breath for so long. It was clear that the children would have a future where water was involved and nobody denied the fact, but Lucy began to question whether she really belonged in the water or not.

It was a nagging question that refused to go away and Lucy wanted to drown it in the deepest parts of her mind, but she just couldn't do it. "Kyle. I'm going out to meet with someone in the park." Lucy said as she went back to her room and began to pack a swimsuit and a towel into her small bag, hoping her brother wouldn't get suspicious. "All right then. Just be back before eight, alright?" Kyle called out and saw his sister clad in a hoodie and jeans, an outfit she'd never think about wearing in the summer.

"Aren't you gonna be hot in that sweater?" the young man asked and narrowed his eyes when he noticed the faint scabs on her hand. "No." the woman replied blankly and turned to leave the room, but the firm grip on her arm stopped her from taking another step and the hiss that left her lips made his sharp green eyes narrow in concern.

"What happened to your hand?" he asked in a demanding tone and Lucy turned away to avoid his sharp eyes, only to meet with Catherine's own. She could tell that the little girl was going to tell the truth about what had happened and she shot her younger sister a deadly glare that could burn through anything. Catherine took this as a warning and quickly slipped out of the room, leaving behind the tense atmosphere.

"Lucy, what happened?"

"It's just some small scrapes. Don't get so worked up about it." Lucy muttered as she tried to break away from her brother's string grip. "Just tell me the truth dammit!" he yelled and felt a hand strike him across the cheek, causing him to stagger a step back and place a hand on his cheek.

Lucy didn't feel guilty for slapping her brother across the face and the scowl on her face took the older one by surprise. Shoving her hands into her pockets, she turned to look at her bewildered brother with a look of pure disgust.

"Just because Annalise isn't here, doesn't mean you have the right to act like her and remind us of her absence."

"That wasn't-" Kyle protested and raised his voice slightly, but sealed his lips shut when Lucy slammed her fist against the wall, taking the older boy by surprise. Known for being collective and calm most of the time, only a handful of people knew about Lucy's hidden, deadly temper. But, Kyle was the only one who took the hard way of knowing that it took only one sentence or action to light the fuse.

"You know what Kyle? Do me a big favor and save your pity for someone other than your sister." she demanded and slammed the door behind her, extending the gap between both siblings and straining their relationship even further.

* * *

Arriving at the school pool, Lucy was greeted by the familiar faces of the school's swim team. "Lucy-kun! You made it!" Nagisa exclaimed as he ran up to the young woman and gave her a friendly hug. "Hi, Lucy! How's your shoulder doing? Heard it got scraped badly yesterday." Coach Sasabe recalled as the group stared at her, waiting for her to make a move. Placing a hand over her shoulder, she smiled sweetly and thanked everyone for their concerns, easing their worries and making them breath a sigh of relief.

All except for Haru.

 _'She refuses to hold back on the truth, but chooses to lie whenever she's given a chance. Who really is this woman?'_ Haru wondered as he climbed up the pool ladder and watched as she emerged from the change rooms. Her black and gold swimsuit hugged her frame tightly while her long, pink hair was tied together in a ponytail. He could feel his heart skip a beat as he stared at her with awestruck eyes.

"Haru-chan? You okay?" Makoto asked as he caught Haru staring at something and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, breaking the trance the dark haired man was in.

"How old is Lucy?"

"Sixteen, but she's turning seventeen. She's just a few days older than you. Why do you ask, Haru?" the older boy wondered and settled his gaze on Lucy, who slowly slid into the pool. Her face contorted into an expression of pain when the water splashed against her wounds, the chlorine seeping into some of her opened wounds. After a few seconds of clutching her shoulder in pain, Lucy began to swim in her lane and the team watched as she sped up near the halfway mark.

"I'm here!"

"Zaki-chan!" Makoto exclaimed and rushed to hug his friend, who eagerly returned the gesture. "Makoto-senpai! It's been forever since I saw you guys!" Aki exclaimed as she pulled away and gave the others a friendly hug. "When'd you move back to Iwatobi?" Nagisa asked and the girl thought to herself before flashing everyone a bright smile. "Just last week actually! I got bored of the city and wanted to see you guys again!" she replied and scratched the back of her head sheepishly, a laugh escaping her lips as they chatted amongst themselves for a couple of minutes.

Lucy decided to take a short break from swimming and lifted her head when she heard a voice that she could recognize easily. "Lucy-senpai!" the brunette exclaimed and rushed to give her longtime friend a big hug. "Yazaki-san!" Lucy said as she let out a laugh as the two friends embraced each other after three years of separation.

"I see you've grown, Yazaki-san."

"Very much! I heard Hachiro won tons of gold medals at the meet two weeks ago!"

"They did! Lucy-kun was so fast nobody could catch up to her! She was like a missile in the water!" Nagisa added and Aki let out a giggle when she caught Lucy blushing at Nagisa's praise.

"Hey Zaki-chan. Would you be interested in forming a female swim team?" Haru asked and he could see her light brown eyes twinkle with excitement at the mentioning of a swim team. "Of course I would! Not only do I get to swim with my friends, but I get to swim next to my idol!" she replied and gave her friend another strong hug, but a deep voice interrupted the group and caused them to turn their heads.

"Rin? What are you doing here?" Haru asked as he watched the older swimmer stood next to his younger sister and gave her hair a playful ruffle. "Rin! I told you to stop doing that to me!" Gou whined and swatted his hand away, earning a laugh from her older brother. Rin's eyes landed on Lucy and he could feel one of them twitch at the sight of the young woman. Lucy could feel someone staring at her and turned to see Rin Matsuoka glaring back at her.

 _'You!'_

* * *

After watching the others leave the pool, Rin had asked Haru to join him on a walk in the town. The sun was just setting and the two men watched as the sky darkened above them, shades of orange and yellow staining the once blue sky. "So, how's Iwatobi doing?" Rin asked as they climbed the stairs and reached a spot where anyone could have a great view of the town.

"Who was that girl at the pool? The one Yazaki-san called her idol." the Samezuka swimmer wondered as he rested his arms on the railings while keeping his eyes on Haruka. "Her name's Lucy." Haru answered as he copied his friends's actions, but decided to shift his gaze onto the town instead. "Is she a Hinukajin?" Rin wondered and stood up, folding his arms against his chest as he watched Haruka's eyes narrow, a clouded expression appearing on his face as silence hung over them.

"Yes. The second youngest to be exact."

"Hmph. Just as I expected." the older boy muttered as he let out a long sigh, the wind rustling his flaming red hair as he held his chin with his fingers as if he were deep in thought.

"Why? You got a grudge against her or something?"

"No, Haru."

"Then, what do you have against her?"

Letting out a short sigh, Rin stared at Haru with his crimson eyes and pressed his lips into a thin line as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Before I left for Australia, I saw Lucy walking with her sister. It was raining and I couldn't see much, but I knew it was Annalise since I often chatted with her if I was given the chance."

"Go on." Haru muttered as his eyebrows raised with interest. "They were yelling at one another and you could easily tell who was angrier out of the two of them. I didn't hear much since I had to go inside a store and when I got back outside, there was an ambulance and police cars everywhere." Rin said as he thought back to that day.

"When did this happen?"

"Like a year ago probably, but have any of you heard the rumor that's going around Iwatobi?"

"Not really. I don't pay attention to that kind of stuff."

"I see but has anyone ever brought it up?"

"No, but I did overhear someone talking about Lucy a few days ago. What even is the rumor?" the dark haired boy asked as he watched Rin lean back against the railing, tilting his head up so he could stare up at the sky.

"They say Annalise disappeared because she felt guilty about pissing Lucy off and decided to move away to some unknown country so their relationship could stay intact."

"What does this even have to do with Lucy?"

"These rumors only started popping up at the same time Lucy moved here. Not only are the rumors popping up in Iwatobi, but some are circulating around Samezuka too."

"Lucy doesn't even have anything to do with Samezuka." Haru retorted, surprising Rin with his sudden choice to defend the girl he barely even knew about.

"Annalise went to Katsumi High, an all girls school, and often visited me on the weekends at Samezuka. She told me that she transferred from Iwatobi to Katsumi so that Lucy would be given the chance to develop her own person, but I got the feeling that she transferred just so she could get away from Lucy's hatred and hoped that it would salvage their friendship."

"Was it true?" the younger swimmer wondered as he raised his blue eyes so he could look at Rin, whose lips had curved into a small smile. "It was. I found out when I caught her watching the swim team at practice and decided to talk for a bit." Rin continued and watched as a leaf blew past him, curling a bit as the wind carried it to a new location.

"When Annalise disappeared, so did Lucy. I called their family and asked them where either sister went, but they were just as heartbroken and confused as I was. I will admit that I had a tiny crush on Annalise, but we stayed as good friends when she was still around. When they went missing, I felt like I had just lost someone important."

"Rin..."

"The family organized a search party a few hours later. Do you remember that?"

Haru suddenly remembered when Rin and the Iwatobi swim team banged on his door and asked him to join a search party for two local girls. The team and the entire town searched for hours in nearby areas and towns, but nobody even found a clue that could lead to where both went. After searching for nearly four hours, the party was disbanded and everyone else went home with heavy hearts. He remembered seeing Makoto and the others calming down the girls' parents, but he would never forget how heartbroken the family sounded as they pleaded with the police to find their daughters.

"Makoto was also crushed to hear that both girls had disappeared. Those two were like a part of his family." he added and Haru swore that he thought Rin would cry right at this moment. "Is that why you're so mad at her?" Haru wondered and he saw Rin nod, but the tear that rolled down his eye caught him off guard.

"That's how it stayed for an entire year. The police trying to find both girls, the family hoping that they would come home, everyone unsure about the girls' safety, Makoto trying everything he could that would help find them. It was a nightmare."

The sun had vanished and the moon had taken its place with stars dotting the sky like a painting. The moonlight cast shadows on the ground where both men stood and another heavy silence settled upon them.

"I remember seeing something about their disappearance on the news once. What did you do when you heard Lucy came back, Rin?"

"Me? Well, the first thing I did was call her and ask where Annalise was, but she kept avoiding the question repeatedly. I began to yell at her for making the entire town worried sick for an entire year and the fact that she ran away for that long. Then, she hung up and ignored her phone every time I called."

"I'd never think Lucy would have the heart to do that..." Haru muttered and felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up to see Rin looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face and his eyes widened unexpected action. "Lucy can hurt you and leave behind terrible scars that probably won't heal. So please...be careful, Haru. She may look innocent, but she is capable of hurting you and others." Rin warned before descending down the steps and leaving Haru alone to think about the warning Rin had told him.

* * *

Taking one last look before ascending the hill, Lucy took in the view of the entire town and let out a soft sigh. She pulled the hood of her sweater over her face and trudged up the hill. She carried a small bouquet of white roses in her arms and a hair clip. Taking a turn, she spotted a lone grave on the top and slowly sped up as she neared it.

"Hey. I'm back." Lucy whispered gently as she got on her knees and set her offerings down on the grave. "It's been forever since I last paid you a visit, huh?" she continued and smiled as she arranged the bouquet so that it leaned against the headstone. The soft breeze rustled her hair gently and she could feel tears fall down her cheeks as she gazed at the headstone sadly.

"You might be wondering if I joined the swim team yet and I did. Well, Kyle wanted me to anyways."

Silence.

"I joined Iwatobi's team. Mako seemed happy to see me again, even though I disappeared for quite a long time. Kyle said you'd be proud of me if I joined, but I wasn't so sure about that...so I came to ask you instead."

Letting out a small chuckle, Lucy rested her hand against the grave and felt the cold surface press against her warm skin. "Are you proud of me? For joining the swim team?" she wondered and closed her eyes, letting the sounds of the grass rustling with the wind fill her ears. "I would say that's a yes from you, but there's no way for me to find out." she murmured and rested her forehead against the stone.

"I miss you so much, but I can't do anything to bring you back. I know you must be glaring at me from above or trash talking about me to some of your buddies, but I'm okay with that...because it's my punishment for all those things I did to you."

"I know you'll hate me for all of eternity, but I want to ask for your forgiveness. I just want this burden off my shoulders." she sobbed and slowly sunk to the ground as guilt overrode her mind.

Rising from the ground, she wiped her tears away and gently touched the grave one last time before pulling her hood up and beginning the journey home. In the soft moonlight, the grave read:

 _Annalise Nanami Hinukajin_

 _January 23, 1996 - June 30, 2016_

 _Loved for all of eternity_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Heya readers! Sweet's back with chapter 5 and I hope you're enjoying this emotional train wreck of a story. I'm guessing you guys are still shocked from the unexpected plot twist (well I think it is one anyways) from the previous chapter and to be honest, I know you have questions regarding that but all I can tell you is that future chapters will answer them. Anyways, on with chapter five!**

 **(P.S. I just realized that Annalise died on Haru's birthday a day after posting chapter four and now I'm beginning to wonder if my brain will keep inserting ideas like this into my head. :P)**

 **Songs I recommend for this fic:**

 **'Dive' by Steve Ganacci featuring ENYA (Sean Turk remix)**

 **'I Found' by Amber Run**

 **'Lights Down Low' by MAX**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Free! at all. I only own Lucy, her family, and this story.**

* * *

"You did what?"

"I asked the Samezuka team if they wanted to have another joint practice and they accepted!" Gou exclaimed as she smiled brightly and handed each team member a water bottle from her bag. It was a bright Saturday morning and the team decided to have practice just before lunch. It had been a week after Rin had spoken to Haru about Lucy and he couldn't stop thinking about the warning even though he had much more bigger things to worry about. Catching a quick glance at Lucy, Haru could see that she had balled her hand into a fist and her gaze had shifted to the ground, hiding her now blazing blue eyes as a quick scowl etched onto her face.

"Yeah! We get to see Rin again! Doesn't that sound fun, Lucy-kun?" Nagisa asked in a cheery voice and turned to look at the woman with bright eyes. "Of course." Lucy answered and schooled her features into another forced smile, hoping that she could fool everyone again.

"Captain! Yoshino fell into the pool again!" Yoshima Hanazuke, a second year and one of the newest members of the female swim team, yelled as she switched from scolding her twin and speaking to the captain repeatedly. "Did not!" Yoshino, the younger twin, retorted and splashed Yoshima with the pool water, causing the girl to glare at her once more. "Knock it off, you two. Captain Lucy's gonna make you do an extra two laps if you girls don't stop horsing around." Aki warned and gave the two younger members a look that said _'I'm not kidding.'_

"Yes, ma'am." both girls replied in unison and returned to their exercises. Aki had recruited the two girls after she overheard them discussing what they would do now since their swim team closed. The two bore the same jet black hair, but Yoshino sported a bright pair of hazel green eyes while Yoshima had blue-green ones. The team confused both girls easily for the first few weeks and eventually figured out a way to tell them apart, which they did by examining their personalities. Lucy easily identified which twin was which the moment she saw them and decided to identify them by using their eye colors.

"Yoshino."

"Y-Yes captain?!"

"You're leaning forward too much and it's affecting your form greatly. Lean back a little bit and your form should be fine. Yoshima, kick a little bit more so your speed will increase. Aki, slowly build up speed as you swim. Don't start off fast because you'll start to slow down as you near the other end of the pool."

"Yes ma'am!" the three girls replied as they climbed out of the pool and made their way to the ledge. Lucy watched as each girl took her advise and dove in, breaking the water's still surface as the droplets splashed onto her face and traveled down her cheeks. "You're becoming such an excellent captain, Lucy. Even I wouldn't be able to spot tiny details like that." Makoto mused as he sat down beside the girl and showed her a gentle smile.

"I've observed the other swimmers back at Hachiro High and sometimes watch my father train his team whenever I have free time. Sometimes, my dad says that I inherited my mother's observant eye." she replied and slowly kicked her legs back and forth, causing some ripples to appear on the surface. "It seems you have. Have you guys decided which stroke each of you will swim?" he asked and saw her nod slightly.

"Aki decided to try out backstroke. Yoshino picked butterfly while Yoshima went with breast-stroke, leaving me with freestyle."

"I see."

"Lucy! We're gonna start preparing for the joint practice!" Aki called out and Lucy nodded, watching the entire team exit the pool and head for the change rooms. Just as she stood up, Makoto caught a hold of her wrist and she turned to see him gazing at her with worried eyes.

"Mako?"

"Lucy...I've been meaning to ask you something for quite a while." Makoto began and wrapped her in a tight embrace, catching the girl off guard.

"W-Why did you run away? Why would you abandon us like that?!"

Haru watched from a distance as he watched his childhood friend try to get the girl to confess the truth, even though he knew she would answer with a lie. _'It's no use, Makoto. She won't tell you anything.'_ Haru thought as he kept watching the two embrace, only to notice a small tear roll down Makoto's face.

"Makoto, please listen and try to understand what I'm saying. There was something troubling me that year and I didn't know what to do."

"Lucy, I've known you ever since your brother brought me to visit you in the hospital after you were born and I was the one you would talk to whenever you had a problem. Why didn't you come talk to me?"

"Mako...some things are best kept under lock and key, okay? Besides, you wouldn't look at me the same way if I told you why I ran away."

"Please, Lucy. Let me help you." Makoto pleaded and pulled away to look at his friend with teary green eyes, making Haru want to interfere. He held both her wrists in his hands and the look on his face made Lucy's eyes shine with guilt.

"I'm sorry Makoto, but this is for your own sake. It's better if I kept you in the dark just this once." Lucy answered and showed him a sad smile, prompting Makoto to lean against her as he cried. Haru felt guilty for watching something so private. Those two possessed a friendship that no words could describe, which eventually crumbled because of her disappearance. Now here he was, spying on them as they discussed what made the friendship crumble in the first place.

"I know you're doing what you think is best for me and I can't tell you how grateful I am to have a friend like you, but sometimes it's best if you didn't know everything."

"You're just so distant nowadays and I want to know why, but whenever I talk to you it feels like you're worlds away." Makoto murmured and Lucy stepped back so she could gaze at her friend with calm blue eyes. "I will tell you the truth someday, Makoto. I promise with every bit of my soul, but I'll only tell you if I know you're ready to handle it and right now, I know you aren't." she replied and stood on her toes to give his hair a playful ruffle, earning a small smile from him.

"There's the smile I want to see! Now we better get ready. We don't want to miss the practice with Samezuka."

* * *

By the time the Iwatobi team arrived at Samezuka, the pool was already packed with members of the team. Gou had to excuse herself before she passed out from the numerous shirtless boys that swam or stretched, earning a small laugh from Makoto. Lucy and her team quickly changed into their swimsuits and emerged from the change rooms with their goggles in hand.

"Okay girls. We'll warm up our muscles by stretching for three minutes and I'll see where we go from there." Lucy instructed and all three girls nodded before all four of them found a spot to stretch in. The male Iwatobi team had just finished with their stretches and watched the girls wrap up their stretches, giving each other high-gives before turning to face the pool.

"Damn. Never thought I'd see an Iwatobi female swim team." Seijuro Mikoshiba mused as he watched Yoshino dive into the pool and start doing the butterfly stroke. "We just established them last week too. They're the first ever female swim team the school has ever had." Makoto added and faced the Samezuka captain with a friendly smile. "I see. So who's on the team?" the red-head asked and crossed his arms against his chest.

"The ones with black hair are the Hanazuke twins. Yoshino has hazel-green eyes and her older twin Yoshima has blue-green ones. Next you have Aki, who has brown hair and then their captain, Lucy." Haru explained as he pointed out each team member to the older swimmer. "Wait, do you mean _the_ Lucy Hinukajin?! The younger sister of Annalise Hinukajin?!" Seijuro retorted and Haru nodded, turning his gaze to Lucy, who had just dove into the water.

Her arms cut through the water like a blade through cloth and her speed increased as she kicked with her toned legs quickly. By then, almost the entire Samezuka team was watching her swim and were in awe as she moved through the water beautifully. "No way! This guy's swimming just like an Olympian!" Nitori exclaimed as Lucy turned and began to swim back. The building was filled with cheers and hollers as she neared the finish and Lucy drowned out the voices, only hearing the splashing of the water and her own breathing.

Touching the wall with her hand, Lucy could hear them cheering for her and she looked up to see Aki extending her hand out to her. "Well done captain!" Aki exclaimed as she showed the older girl a big smile, which she returned with one of her own. "Holy crap! Did you see that guy swim?! He's like a dolphin or something!" another member exclaimed and the boys began to wonder who this mysterious swimmer was.

"I wonder who this guy is!" a member exclaimed and the building began to fill with murmurs once more.

"Damn! Iwatobi's really pulling out the big guns this year!

Taking Aki's hand, Lucy was pulled out of the pool and onto the deck, where she took off her cap and allowed her long, pale pink locks to fall down her back.

"IT'S A GIRL?!" the entire Samezuka team gasped and stared in shock as they watched Lucy take her goggles off and stare right back at them with her cobalt blue eyes. "Is that an issue?" she asked calmly and saw their cheeks flush with embarrassment as they stuttered with their sentences.

"I'm just teasing you all. My name's Lucy Ayumi Hinukajin. Nice to meet you."

"Eh?!"

"Oh dear." Makoto laughed as he watched the entire team crowd around Lucy and bombard her with questions. "What's wrong, Makoto-senpai?" Rei wondered as he followed his friend's eyes and saw Lucy getting a bit uncomfortable with the attention. Yoshino was attempting to pull away each boy whenever they got too close with the captain while Aki and Yoshima were trying to restrain her.

"Lucy's never been the type to handle big crowds easily and preferred to not be noticed by a lot of people. When she was younger, she'd hide behind me or anyone who was taller than her whenever she felt uncomfortable with the attention people kept giving her." Makoto explained as they made their way down to the pool. Just as he finished the sentence, Haru felt someone's presence behind him and turned to see an embarrassed Lucy almost clinging onto him.

"Hey! We're here to practice! Not to flirt with the ladies! All of you will do an extra three laps if you even think about bothering Lucy or her team!" Seijuro yelled and all the men dispersed, giving Lucy some space to breathe. Lucy watched as Makoto and his team made their way to the pool and begin their drills. Using this distraction, she slipped into the hallway unnoticed for a short break.

* * *

Grabbing the can from the dispenser, Lucy leaned against the wall and turned her phone on, checking for any news regarding swimming or celebrity gossip. She stumbled on an article that contained speculations about her sister's whereabouts and even a bit of what a police officer had to say about her case. Seeing pictures of her sister swimming or holding up her medals filled the girl with rage and a tear slowly rolled down her cheek before landing on the phone's screen.

"Lucy."

She lifted her head to see Rin staring at her with his crimson red eyes and she wiped her tears away with her sleeve, keeping her eyes trained on the young man as they continued to stare one another down. "Matsuoka." Lucy muttered and crossed her arms against her chest while she narrowed her eyes.

"Never thought I'd see you here."

"Your sister arranged a joint practice."

"Cut the bullshit, Hinukajin. What's the real reason for you coming here?" Rin asked in an angered voice and Lucy grabbed the collar of his jacket, her anger quickly surfacing as she burned holes into his head.

"I only came here to swim, Rin. Not to cry and whine about someone who isn't around anymore." Lucy snarled and let go of him harshly, which caused him to stagger back a few steps. With a quick turn of her heel, she began to walk back to the pool's entrance and Rin called out to her, which made her turn around and look at him with her intense blue eyes.

"Annalise cared about you. She cared about you so much and all you did was shut her out."

A silence fell upon the two and Rin heard a low chuckle escape her lips as the atmosphere grew even more dense with each passing second.

"It's funny how you used the word 'cared' instead of 'cares'. As if that selfish bitch ever cared about me. All she cared about were those damn medals and stealing the spotlight." she muttered and the Samezuka swimmer felt shocked to hear Lucy insult her older sister who not only taught her the joys of swimming, but supported her throughout her entire life.

"Why are you so rude to Annalise?! All she did was care and support you for your entire life!" Rin retorted and Lucy chuckled as she walked further down the hallway and got closer to the pool entrance.

"If she really cared about me, then why did she run away like a coward and attend another school instead of going to Iwatobi with me?"

"I would watch my mouth if I were you."

"Tch. Can't believe you got the guts to defend someone who kept lying to your face for nearly three years. Annalise and I might be sisters, but I didn't sit around and mope about how I couldn't fix something that was already damaged in the first place. Besides, I wasn't the one who kept staying in the past and didn't worry about the future."

Within a blink of an eye, Lucy disappeared around the corner and left a speechless Rin standing in the hallway.

* * *

"Hey Iwatobi! Let's see how fast your girls can swim!" Seijuro exclaimed and almost instantly, Yoshino volunteered to swim first. "Hey! You can't just-" Yoshima interjected, but stopped when her sister flashed a cocky grin at her direction. "Relax, Debby Downer! It's just a race!" the younger twin laughed as she climbed the ledge at the same time Seijuro did. "Hey Nitori! Call it!" the captain yelled and Nitori jumped at the mentioning of his name.

"On your mark! Get set! Go!"

The two swimmers dove into the pool and Lucy's face lit up when she saw that Yoshino had perfected her form. Everyone cheered for their respective swimmer and the building was once again filled with cheers and hollers.

"Go go go Yoshino!"

"Fight fight fight!"

They turned and began the swim back. Lucy's lips pressed into a thin line when she noticed Yoshino start to tire and lose the lead. _'She started off too fast. This won't be good if she keeps this up.'_ Lucy noted as she watched Seijuro gain the lead and win the race. Samezuka burst into a round of cheers as they congratulated their captain and Yoshino couldn't help but break out into a wide grin.

However, Yoshino's grin fell when she locked eyes with her captain, whose disappointment was clear in her eyes. "Yoshino." the older girl called out and the second year felt her heart pound against her rib cage while the captain kept her eyes glued on her. Hearing Lucy use her ice cold voice terrified anyone, but being on the receiving end of it was even more terrifying.

Sharp like a blade yet cold like the arctic winds. That's how Yoshino would describe it. Bracing herself for a lecture, Yoshino squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that Lucy would have mercy on her. "Don't start off too fast, Yoshino. Start at a fairly good speed and slowly increase it as you go, alright? I don't want to see you getting tired at the halfway point of a race." Lucy explained and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Yes Hinukajin-senpai!"

"Please call me Lucy. It's much more casual."

"Okay Hinu-er, Lucy-senpai." Yoshino replied as she flashed Lucy her signature cocky grin. Rushing off to join her sister and Aki, Lucy watched as they disappeared around the corner, their laughter echoing in her ears long after they had left.

"Hey, Lucy! Wanna race?" Seijuro exclaimed and Lucy turned to face him, her lips curling up into a friendly smile. "Sure." Lucy replied as she slipped her cap and goggles on.

As they climbed the starting blocks, Lucy could feel everyone's eyes staring into her soul and a slight tremor coursed through her body, another feeling she had gotten used to. _'Breathe, Lucy. It's just a race. Don't panic. Nobody is here to scout you.'_ Lucy reminded herself and steadied her heavy breathing, quickly placing a hand over her racing heart.

 _'Is she...panicking?'_ Haru wondered as he watched them dive into the pool, breaking the water's still surface.

"She's racing Seijuro? I see that she hasn't changed at all." Rin mused as he joined the other swimmers in the building. "Wow! Lucy-senpai is racing Captain Seijuro!" Aki exclaimed as the other girls returned to the pool after changing into their clothes.

"Rin? Does Lucy ever panic before a race?" Haru asked the Samezuka swimmer and glanced at his direction. Letting out a sigh, Rin watched the two turn at the far end and heard everyone gasp when Lucy earned the lead. "She does, but it only happens when there are two or more officials watching her." Rin replied with a somber tone and crossed his arms against his chest, brows furrowing in frustration while his lips pursed into a thin line.

Touching the pool wall with her hand, Lucy gasped for air and rested her forehead against the cool surface. Her bangs covered her eyes and Haru wondered if she was okay, seeing that she was taking such deep breaths while her shoulders shook ever so slightly.

As Haru stood near the edge of the pool, he heard two members of the Samezuka swim team whispering to one another and he inclined his head slightly to catch what they were saying.

"Man, that girl was like a monster when she swam. She even beat the captain!"

"I know, but doesn't something seem off about her to you?"

"Yeah. When she started swimming, I saw that she was way faster than almost all of us here."

"Exactly! Her times are insane! They can even come close to Annalise's!"

"I heard that back at her old school, she took the team to Nationals and broke an Olympic record!"

"Nobody can just break a record that easily, you know. I think performance enhancing drugs helped her do that."

"Me too honestly." the boy sighed as he towelled off his wet hair.

"She's one mysterious athlete, that's for sure."

Strangely enough, Haru couldn't help but agree with the boy's statement.

* * *

After practice, both Iwatobi and Samezuka were exhausted from all the drills and races they did for nearly two hours. Makoto had to rush home after his mother called him to ask if he could babysit Ran and Ren since his father had to attend a doctor's appointment, leaving Haru to walk home by himself.

He was relieved to have time for himself after being surrounded by multiple people for nearly the entire morning. Now, he could think about all the things he had learned or heard about Lucy. However, he couldn't stop thinking about that boy's speculation of Lucy using performance enhancing drugs.

 _'She wouldn't be the type to use drugs, right? But, I only know so little about her.'_ Haru thought as he slowly started to ascend the stairway that led to his home.

 _"This is for your own sake, Makoto. It's better if I kept you in the dark just this once."_

 _"She does, but it only happens when there are two or more scouting officials watching her."_

 _"I guess that's what happens if you're always living in someone's shadow."_

 _"Lucy can hurt you and leave behind terrible scars that probably won't heal. So please...be careful, Haru. She may look innocent, but she is capable of hurting you and others."_

Who really was Lucy Hinukajin?

It seemed like an easy question to answer, yet Haru knew the answer was much more complex than what most people would think. As he continued to climbed the stairs, the swimmer noticed a familiar figure sitting on the steps.

"Haruka-senpai!" a voice called out and he looked down to see a little boy whose bright blue eyes twinkled in the light while his light brown hair bobbed as he jumped up and down. "Hideki-san! Wait for me!" a little girl exclaimed as she ran to catch up with her older brother. The two shared the same hair color, but the little girl had beautiful amethyst eyes.

Haru knew these kids. They went to the ITSC for their swim lessons and he'd often see Hideki challenging his twin sister Minako to a race. They were both eight years old and were fast learners for their age.

"Hi Hideki. Hi Minako. What are you two doing here?" Haru asked as he bent down to meet their eye level. "Mom and Dad went to go buy some groceries! We're being babysat right now!" Hideki answered cheerfully and flashed him the biggest smile he had ever seen.

"Who's babysitting you guys?"

Minako turned around and began to tug on her brother's sleeve frantically when she caught sight of their babysitter. "Onii-sama! The babysitter looks really mad right now!" Minako whispered to her brother and both boys looked up to see a familiar pair of eyes staring at them.

"Haru?"

"Lucy?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey hey guys! Sweet's back with another chapter for Sink or Swim! Whoo! I can't believe it's only been three months since this story was published and nearly 500 people read it! Well somewhere along that range. Thanks so much for the reads and reviews guys! Let's see what happens to Lucy and Haru this chapter! :o**

 **P.S.: Listening to Amber Run's 'I Found'** **helped me get through this chapter and gives this story the angsty feel it has. Also, who's excited for the new movies?! Cause this author is!**

* * *

"Haru? What are you doing here?"

"Just on my way home. What about you?" Haru answered as he tilted his head when he spotted the twins beginning to argue. Lucy placed a gentle hand on their heads and Haru saw the twins' eyes widen when they noticed their babysitter looking at them.

"Why don't you guys go back to drawing on the sidewalk while I talk to my friend?" Lucy asked in a sweet tone and watched as the siblings ran off to find a blank surface to draw on.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lucy folded her arms against her chest and kept her eyes trained on the two children, a smile slowly pulling at her lips as she watched them happily draw on the sidewalk. "You know, babysitting small kids like them really makes you think about all the memories of being a kid," Lucy murmured and Haru took the chance to steal a quick glance at her, flicking his blue eyes over to the girl.

"D-Do you want any help?"

 _'What am I saying?'_ Haru thought as he saw Lucy turn to look at him with a surprised expression on her usually blank face.

"Wait, you want to help me babysit these two?" the girl asked and Haru nodded, his face breaking out into a small smile as he waited for her answer.

"You looked exhausted so I figured you might need some help," he added and watched as Lucy let out a small laugh, surprising Haru since she rarely laughed. Yet, it was a beautiful sound, like a performing symphony.

 _'Her laugh is so...beautiful.'_

"Alright. Having another person to help me look after those troublemakers might make my life easier," she replied and showed Haru another beautiful smile, causing him to feel all jittery again.

"Lucy-senpai! Can we go to the park?" Minako exclaimed as she ran up to the babysitter, her amethyst eyes twinkling with excitement as she jumped up and down.

"Of course we can. Do you want to go tell your brother that?"

"Okay!"

* * *

The two teammates made their way to the town and kept a close eye on the kids as they gleefully skipped on the sidewalk. "Race you to the swings, Minako-chan!" Hideki exclaimed and dashed off, leaving behind his pouting twin sister.

"No fair Onii-san!" Minako yelled as she ran to catch up with her brother, leaving behind the two older ones. As they continued to walk in silence, Haru couldn't help but glance quickly at Lucy's direction. The way her long hair cascaded down her back and fluttered ever so slightly in the wind and her eyes...

 _'Come on, Haru. Say something to her,'_ Haru thought as they crossed the road to reach the park, where the twins waited patiently on the swings.

"Lucy-senpai! Will you push me please?" Minako asked and Lucy nodded as she went behind the little girl and grabbed the chains. Slowly pushing her back and forth, Lucy listened to the younger girl's squeals of delight as she swung high enough to reach the sky.

Upon seeing his sister being pushed by the babysitter, Hideki turned to Haru and with beaming eyes, flashed him the biggest smile he had ever seen. "Haruka-senpai! Push me too!" Hideki exclaimed as he watched his sister go even higher on the swing.

Repeating the same actions as Lucy, Haru pushed the little boy high enough and watched him laugh joyfully as he threw his head back and let the breeze ruffle his light brown hair. Taking a seat next to Lucy on the bench, the older boy caught her sporting a nostalgic smile on her face. Drowning out everything around him, he felt time stand still as he continued to stare at the girl with awestruck eyes.

The pale pink cherry blossom petals couldn't outshine her long, pale pink hair as it fluttered in the wind at a gradual rate. Tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, the male swimmer silently observed her profile and noticed the tiny details that he never realized were there.

A tiny, faded cut rested on her cheek, which was hard to see underneath the woman's flushed cheeks. Her clear blue eyes hid underneath those long eyelashes that fluttered shut each time she blinked. Haru couldn't help but feel jittery all over again as he stared at her.

 _'Why am I so jittery?'_

Never in his life had he experienced something so strange. In fact, it was so strange that Haru began to wonder if he was ill.

"Lucy-senpai! I made something for you!" Minako exclaimed as she jogged over to where the two sat. In her hands was a beautiful crown of flowers that had been crafted from what appeared to be sticks and a little bit of grass.

"Oh? Let's see it then," Lucy replied as she bent down to meet the younger girl's eye level. Haru watched as Minako placed a crown of daisies onto Lucy's head, the petals standing out against the sea of pale pink hair.

"Do you like it? My mommy taught me how to make them!" the child explained as she rocked on the back of her heels, waiting for the woman's answer.

"I love it, Minako-chan! Do you think you could teach me how to make one?" the babysitter asked in a gentle tone and watched as the little girl's eyes lit up with excitement, causing her to smile once more.

"Yeah! Now I have someone else to make flower crowns for! Hideki-nii says they're too girly for him," Minako whispered and Lucy giggled as she listened to the story while admiring the new accessory.

Haru on the other hand felt his heart race whenever he saw her smile.

In fact, he'd rather have Lucy smile genuinely all the time than see her wear that forced smile of hers that she always put on for the team, which he had grown to dislike. Thinking back to when he first visited the Hinukajin home, Haru remembered all the family photos Lucy's parents had pinned up on the walls.

There were at least three photos where Lucy was captured smiling and they seem to have been taken when she was around twelve or younger. What disturbed him was the fact that most of the family photos only included Catherine, Kyle, and their parents, indicating that those photos were taken during her disappearance. There were only few where a grown up Lucy was seen and they all had one thing in common:

Lucy never smiled.

No matter what photo she was in, whether it be her brother's graduation or Catherine's birthday, there was no hint of a smile being shown.

Haru knew it was rude to point it out, but Lucy seemed like an outcast in her family. Lucy's cold and distant attitude was a stark contrast from her family's joyful one, but he had to wonder, was she always like this? He knew that the bitter relationship Lucy had with Annalise was the reason why she acted so cold towards others, but what was Lucy like before she began to fight with her older sister?

Thinking back to what Kyle had said, the blonde had mentioned that Lucy used to be so joyful and positive in her younger years and he remembered how sad Makoto looked when Kyle spoke of his little sister's major behavioural change. Those two clearly loved Lucy more than anything and would do anything to see her smile like she used to.

He'd do anything to see her smile too.

"Haru-chan?"

 _'She shouldn't keep something something beautiful like her smile hidden for any longer.'_

"Haru-chan!" A voice yelled for the fifth time and snapped Haru out of the trance he was in. The freestyle swimmer lifted his head at the mentioning of his name and turned to see Nagisa, Rei, and Makoto standing in front of him.

"Huh? Nagisa? Makoto? Rei? What are you doing here?"

"We were going to ask you and Lucy-senpai the same thing," Rei replied as he fixed his red glasses onto the bridge of his nose.

"You two seemed like you were on a date!" Nagisa exclaimed and Haru jumped to his feet to cover the blonde boy's mouth. Flicking his eyes over to Lucy, he saw that she wasn't paying attention and breathed a sigh of relief before turning to face Nagisa with a flustered expression on his face.

"Haru? Are you okay? Your face is turning redder than a tomato!" Makoto whispered and widened his green eyes when Haru looked away with a bright red tint on his cheeks.

"According to my observations over the past few weeks and calculations, it would seem that you are attracted to Lucy-senpai." Rei stated in a matter-of-fact tone, causing Nagisa and Makoto to grin.

"I-I'm not..." Haru protested, shaking his head in order to emphasize his point.

"Hey, Mako-chan? Do you really think Haru-chan likes Lucy-chan?" Nagisa whispered to Makoto and the backstroke swimmer thought to himself for a minute before nodding his head.

"Well, Haru's a bit harder to read when it comes to things like this. But, it would be fun to see if he does," Makoto replied nonchalantly and smiled when he heard Nagisa chuckle.

"I know just what to do! We could ask Rei-chan if he can make a hypothesis! Then, we could ask for the girls' help so we can see if Lucy-chan likes him back too!" the blonde whispered back and let out a squeak when he caught Haru glaring at him in the ornery of his eye.

"Are you serious, Nagisa?" Haru said before letting out an annoyed sigh, causing the three other swimmers to laugh joyously.

"Haru! Can you please look after the twins for a bit? I need to go somewhere for a minute," Lucy called out as she jogged over to where he was. Greeting her fellow teammates with those fake smiles Haru hated, Lucy excused herself for a minute and dashed off towards the park exit.

"Watch the twins for me," Haru insisted and took off in the same direction as Lucy.

"Eh?! H-Haru-chan! Wait!" Makoto protested, but his friend had already disappeared from view. Letting out a sigh, the brown haired boy felt a smile tug on his lips as he turned to face the two small children who stood in front of him.

 _'Oh Haru-chan. I think you like Lucy-chan more than the water now.'_

* * *

 _'No. No. No. He can't be here.'_

Her legs burned with exhaustion as she continued to run down sidewalks and streets, but all she could think about was that text she received.

 _From: Unknown_

 _To: Lucy Hinukajin_

 _Hey sunshine! Care to meet me at the spot just behind the sports store? Got a soda here with your name on it! :)_

Taking a sharp right turn at a corner, she nearly ran into the entrance doors of the store and zipped past the other shoppers inside.

This was a disaster.

A complete and utter disaster.

Bursting through the doors that led to the alley behind the sport store, Lucy spotted a sight she never dared to imagine. Wavy, light blue hair that swept over his face like an ocean wave. Storm grey eyes that could pierce through every wall she put up.

Her stomach twisted at the sight of him and she could feel her knees shaking, but she stood her ground. There standing right in front of her was Hachiro High's male swim team captain and the man that had shattered her heart.

Hiro Tamaki.

"Oh Lucy. I've missed you so much," Hiro cooed and listneing to him say her name like that sickened Lucy to her core. Taking a step back, she narrowed her sharp blue eyes at him and felt a lump rise in her throat.

 _"I found someone better than you."_

"Haven't you found someone better than me to waste your time on?"

 _"You're such a downer, Lucy! Your low attitude is slowly infecting me!"_

"Forget about what happened in the past, my dear Lucy."

"Don't you ever dare call me that," Lucy growled and blinked back hot tears as countless memories surfaced at the mentioning of his nickname for her. Taking her dainty hand in his, Hiro gazed into the girl's eyes and cupped her cheek with his other hand, his gentle smile tearing Lucy apart bit by bit.

Haru, on the other hand, could feel jealousy stir in his stomach at the sight of this mysterious boy touching Lucy in an intimate manner. He could see that Lucy was extremely uncomfortable in this stranger's arms and he fought back the urge to run towards Lucy and wrap her in his arms instead.

Pressing his back against the concrete wall, Haru held his breath at some point and prayed that Lucy or that boy wouldn't discover him hiding here. He knew he shouldn't be sticking his nose into Lucy's business like this or even eavesdropping on such private matters, but the urge to know what involvement this boy has with Lucy overpowered his conscience.

"Let go of me, Hiro!" Lucy barked and pushed the light blue haired boy away from her, anger and hurt shining in those clear blue eyes that Haru was truly fond of.

 _'_ _Don't you even dare think of hurting her!'_ Haru thought and clenched his fist hard enough that his knuckles nearly turned white while his heart hammered against his chest.

Almost as if Hiro had heard Haru, the boy smiled and took both Lucy's hands in his. "Lucy, please hear me out. I know I made a mistake back then between you and I think-" Hiro began but Lucy's harsh voice cut him off.

"You thought what?! You think that by seeing another girl behind my back, who you thought would be better than me just because she had a much more upbeat attitude and then acting all forgetful about it, is gonna gain my trust again?!"

"Look Lucy-"

"Let's not forget the fact that the girl you were hooking up with was none other than my best friend! You turned her against me!" Lucy yelled and wiped away angry tears with the sleeve of her hoodie. Haru wanted to console her and see that smile he liked instead of the teary face he imagined.

"I had a reason to act like that, Hiro. A reason you wouldn't understand now matter how hard you'll try to!"

"Well why didn't you tell me?! Why didn't you tell me what was wrong?!"

"You were never around! You were always out partying with your buddies and getting drunk until midnight while I was stuck in my dorm, crying myself to sleep every damn night! Even if you were around, I would try to tell you what's wrong but all you would say was 'Oh cool babe' or 'Can you please not talk right now? Got a killer headache.'"

Hiro fell silent.

"Do you not know how painful that was for me? To go through an entire school year with a boyfriend who didn't care about my loneliness or emotional pain? To walk the school halls with nobody else to talk to about my problems?"

"Lucy..."

"That's why I left. I couldn't handle being alone anymore!" Lucy murmured and glared at Hiro, her eyes burning imaginary holes into his head.

"We could've worked it out together! All you had to do was tell me!" Hiro retorted and grunted in pain when Lucy roughly pushed him towards the chain fence. It took every inch of her being to not deck Hiro violently in the face and the former Hachiro student resorted to glaring at her ex, much to her annoyance.

"Moving back to Iwatobi was the best choice I've ever made. My family is now within my arm's reach and most importantly, I have friends who make sure I never feel alone! I also don't have an oblivious boyfriend! Now leave me alone!" she yelled and turned to leave, but the rough grip on her wrist stopped her.

"Look, I know you're pissed off about this whole thing and you have every right to be, but I'm only asking for one thing here," the Hachiro captain said as he gazed deeply into her blue eyes.

"What do you want?" Lucy hissed and tried to pull her wrist out of his hand, but Hiro tightened his grip on her.

"Just one thing, Lucy. One simple thing."

"Let go of me, dammit!"

"Let go of her!" Haru demanded as he emerged from the corner, his deep blue eyes burning with anger.

"Stay out of this, Haruka!" Lucy warned and put a hand on his chest, a gesture that told him to stand down. However, Haru was blinded by the rage he felt within and decided to ignore the female captain's orders.

"You must be Haruka Nanase, Iwatobi's freestyle swimmer. I'm Hiro Tamaki, Hachiro High's swim team captain," Hiro greeted as he extended a friendly hand towards Haru.

"Head back to the park, Haruka. Now!" she insisted and Haru turned to see Lucy sporting an unreadable expression on her face. Lucy knew that Haru hated to be called by his first name, but she had to make him listen. Refusing to listen to her, the dark haired boy stepped in front of Lucy and brought himself face to face with the older boy.

"Haruka! No!"

Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, Hiro pushed Haru towards the chain fence and watched as Haru struggled underneath his grip. "Listen, Nanase. What's happening between me and Lucy isn't something for you to stick your nose into. Got it?" the light blue haired captain hissed angrily and narrowed his darkened grey eyes at the younger swimmer.

"Get away from him!" Lucy yelled and separated both boys before physical harm could be done. Using herself as a barrier between the two, the captain made it clear to her ex that she was now on Iwatobi's team by stepping a bit closer to Haru and she could feel a smirk of smug satisfaction creep onto her face at the sight of Hiro's bitter scowl, but she forced herself to hide it.

"Don't hurt him or I will call the police," the girl spoke with venom in her voice and crossed her arms against her chest, eyes darkening to a threatening shade of blue. Hiro smiled and gestured for her to come forward, which she did cautiously.

"Look. All I want is to take you to dinner sometime. Not as exes but as friends," he whispered into her ear and Lucy grimaced before nodding solemnly, her heart aching at the thought of having dinner with Hiro. The Hachiro captain smiled once more and began to walk off, but Lucy caught a hold of his wrist.

"I'll only go to dinner with you on one condition, Hiro."

"What is it, Lucy dear?"

Lucy scowled at that.

"After that, I want you to stay far away from Iwatobi's swim team members. Especially me," Lucy hissed and emphasized the last part, making sure that Hiro had heard her completely. The light blue haired boy thought to himself and Haru swore that he saw the older boy scowl for a second before a sheepish smile crossed his features. _"_

"Deal," Ren replied and watched as the two Iwatobi members walked off in a different direction. Sighing to himself, the light blue haired swimmer pulled out his phone and dialled a familiar number.

 _"What is it, Hiro?"_ an irritated voice asked on the other end of the line and the captain rubbed his temples as he went to find a nearby bench.

"I saw her today."

 _"The Hinukajin girl?"_

"Mhmm. She wasn't all too happy to see me."

 _"I would've expected. You did break the poor girl's heart."_

"Enough about that. Besides, that isn't the issue here."

 _"I'm aware, Tamaki-san. Did you convince her to come back?"_ the voice wondered and Hiro was quick to answer with a no. The caller sighed in the background and the captain rolled his eyes as he waited for an answer.

"We've got another thing to worry about, too."

 _"Which would be?"_

"Do you, by chance, know of someone named Haruka Nanase?" Hiro asked and watched as a bird soared above his head, wings outstretched in flight as it allowed the wind to carry it wherever they wished.

 _"The freestyle swimmer from Iwatobi? Didn't his team go to Nationals or something last year?"_

"Yep. Turns out that the two are teammates and the boy had been eavesdropping on my conversation with Lucy."

 _"What?! Did he hear anything about our plans?!"_

"No. Haruka cut me off before I could even ask Lucy to come back. Besides, she sees Hachiro as a threat now."

 _"Have you thought of another way to convince her?"_

"Yeah. I asked her if she wanted to have dinner sometime with me, but she only agreed on one condition," he replied and fiddled with the bracelet that Lucy had given to him when they were still together.

 _"Which is?"_

"She'll only go to dinner if I leave her and Iwatobi's team alone after that. I'm sure that she'll block my number and warn her teammates about Hachiro or me."

 _"I see. It seems like she wants to completely cut off Hachiro. I'm guessing you know what to do if that speculation becomes true?"_

"I know. Do whatever's necessary to get her back even if it means force or..." Hiro answered and a felt a smirk tug on his face as he stared at a picture of Lucy in his hand.

"...blackmail."

* * *

After dropping off Lucy and the twins at their respective homes, Haru sat on his porch with a towel draped over his head and a neighbourhood cat curled up on his lap. Stroking the animal's head gently, he went over what Lucy had told him before she went inside her house.

 _"Look, Haru. I know you were trying to protect me from Hiro, but let me tell you one thing about him. If Hiro knows you're trying to get in his way, he'll do anything to remove an obstacle from the picture. So I suggest staying out of this issue because he is my problem. Also, don't you dare tell the team about this."_

Her words were cold, yet he thought that Lucy was just looking out for him and the team. Thinking back to what happened at the park, Haru found himself smiling as he remembered the way Lucy smiled so fondly at the twins. Then, he thought back to what Rei had said earlier.

 _"According to my observations over the past few weeks and calculations, it would seem that you are attracted to Lucy-senpai."_

Just thinking about Lucy made him feel jittery and her smile was enough to make his heart skip a beat or two.

She was indeed very beautiful and her eyes were almost on par with the water itself. He had to wonder. Just how many people have laid their eyes on her and have their heart stolen by the beauty? As he looked up to the moon, Haru knew one thing was true.

Lucy Hinukajin had stolen his heart.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the absurdly long delay! I had a big trip over the summer and kept forgetting to update Sink or Swim. I'll try to update as soon as possible but with school hounding on me, I'll probably get a little busy.**

 **Anyways! Here's chapter seven!**

* * *

"Achoo!"

"Lucy? Was that you?" Justin Hinukajin asked as he entered his daughter's bedroom to check on her for the third time. Lucy was sitting cross-legged on her bed with a towel draped over her head and a box of tissues on her lap.

"Yes, dad?" Lucy called out weakly and Justin placed his hand against her forehead, her skin ferverish against his cool hand. She flinched at his touch and held in the urge to push away his hand.

"You're burning up, Lucy. I think it's best if you stayed home for today."

"I'm fine, dad! I've been doing okay this past few-achoo!" Lucy sneezed and sniffled once more, much to her father's disappointment. She sniffled quietly and brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face, causing her father to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Is that so? Then allow me to ask you a question," the father murmured and crossed his arms against his chest, disappointment shining in those clear blue eyes she inherited.

"Have you been swimming in cold water? Like I told you not to over a hundred times now?"

"Well..."

Justin sighed, "Lucy, I know how much you love to swim but, I've warned you about swimming in cold conditions for nearly three months now. You'll get sick because of that!" he lectured and the girl twiddled with her thumbs as her father continued to lecture her.

"That applies to your homework as well. Don't put it off just because you have practice because those bags under your eyes are proof of that. As my daughter, all I want for you is to succeed in your studies and swimming."

Though she seemed distant and independent most of the time, Lucy hated disappointing her father. Not only was Justin worried constantly about his daughter's health, she knew he'd go ballistic if he learned of her habit that involved swimming at nearly midnight.

"Dad, I'm fine. Promise! It's just a stuffy nose. Besides, I'm just having trouble sleeping," she lied, chewing her lip anxiously when she heard her father sigh. He ran a hand through his sandy-blonde hair and looked at his daughter with tired eyes.

"It better be a stuffy nose or otherwise I'm only letting you swim in the pool if there's someone there to watch you," Justin warned and heard his daughter groan in annoyance, as expected.

"Can it be anyone but Kyle, dad?"

"Why?"

"It's kinda hard to explain but-"

"I'm guessing you two fought again...right?" the father asked and Lucy saw his eyes soften when she nodded her head in response. A silence hung over the two of them and Lucy wanted to do something to cut the tension, but her father's saddened eyes kept her in place.

"Lucy. I know it's only been four months since you came back, but please take it easy on your brother. He had a rough year without you or Annalise here. Besides, the last thing I want to see is last year's events happening again."

Lucy couldn't bring herself to respond after that comment. She knew of how much her father loved his family and his strong dislike for fights between any of his children, which had grown to be a sensitive subject between all family members. Especially after last year, the family has been trying to lessen any fighting between one another in fear that it could escalate to the point where a bond between two members was shattered.

She remembered how broken hearted her father sounded during their private calls last year. Almost thirty minutes would be spent sitting on her dormitory bed, listening to Justin's soothing voice as he offered advice or consoled her.

"Nii-san!"

Lucy didn't have time to think before a small body collided with hers and she looked down to see Catherine clinging onto her waist with a goofy smile on her face. Already dressed in her uniform, Catherine had been waiting in the living room for her older sister to finish dressing, but grew impatient after five minutes.

"Catherine. Didn't I tell you to wait in the living room for your sister?" Justin asked and sighed when Catherine ignored him, too busy scolding her sister for making her wait far too long.

"All right, Catherine. Let me go change so I can take you to school," Lucy said as she escorted both Catherine and her father out of her bedroom.

"This time, don't take five minutes!" Catherine exclaimed and the older sister chuckled before gently shutting the door behind her.

Taking a look at herself in the mirror on her dresser, Lucy knew her father was right. Sleepless nights caused bags to appear underneath her eyes and she wondered how long she could keep it up. Sighing to herself, the girl changed into her uniform and headed out the door with an ecstatic Catherine in tow.

* * *

After dropping her sister off at the elementary school, Lucy made her way to Iwatobi High with a headache pounding at her skull. _'Stupid headache. Maybe I should've listened to dad after all.'_ Lucy thought as she trudged to her classroom with a hand pressed against her forehead.

"Good morning, Lucy-senpai!" Aki greeted when Lucy stepped through the door and the girl smiled, despite the pain she felt. Taking a seat at her favoured spot, she watched as Aki and Makoto pulled up next to her desk with the same friendly smiles on their faces.

"Morning you two," Lucy replied as she placed her bag underneath the desk and cursed when she hit her head against it.

Makoto's eyes widened when he saw the dark bags underneath her eyes and he glanced at Aki, who also had the same expression as him. "Are you okay, Lucy-chan? You look kinda pale," Makoto pointed out and she seemed to be startled at the sudden question, but Lucy shook her head.

"Just having some trouble sleeping, Makoto. No need to worry," she lied and saw that he wanted to continue the conversation, but Miss Amakata had walked in the moment Makoto was about to ask another question.

"Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!" Miho said as she smiled gently at her students. Miss Amakata was one of Lucy's favorite teachers and Lucy always looked forward to her classes since they were much more interesting than the others.

She struggled to hear Miho's words as her headache worsened and she felt light-headed at times. Her stomach churned with nausea when she looked down at the notes spread out on her desk and she put a hand against her forehead to ease the headache. _'How much longer till class ends?'_ she wondered tiredly and lifted her eyes to look at the clock, but she still had fifty minutes to go until the bell rang.

However, she didn't notice Haru staring at her from across the room with a concerned look on his face. When Miss Amakata finished her explanation to the class, the boy tapped Makoto's shoulder and gestured towards her direction. Makoto's eyes clouded with worry and he leaned over to tap Aki's shoulder. The brown haired boy pointed towards Lucy and Aki's lips pursed into a tense line.

All three watched with worried eyes as Lucy sneezed for the fifth time in class before placing a hand against her forehead, brows furrowing in frustration as the throbbing of her head worsened.

"Do you think Lucy-kun's sick, Makoto-senpai?" Aki whispered to the older boy and Makoto nodded, jumping in his seat when Lucy's familiar sneeze broke the silence. They were all worried about the captain's well being and seeing her unwell at school didn't sit well with them.

"We have to do something about it! Lucy can't focus if she's sick!"

"That's true, Zaki-chan," Makoto sighed. "But Lucy often likes to hide things like that. If we confront her, she'll keep denying it."

"But we have to help her! We're her teammates!"

Makoto saw the look of worry in her light-blue eyes and knew that Aki wouldn't be swayed easily. "If her condition worsens, I'll call her parents or brother. In the meantime, you need to convince Lucy-chan that she needs to go home and rest," Makoto explained and the brunette nodded.

Haru kept his eyes glued on the sick girl and felt his brow twitch whenever Lucy dropped her pencil and clutched her head in pain, lips contorting into a grimace as another migraine pounded at her skull. She looked like she was going to pass out at any second and Haru found himself hoping that she didn't.

The bell rang and students began to pack up their books while others filed out of the classroom, filling the once silent room with laughter and conversation. As he left the classroom, Haru kept a watchful eye on Lucy as she silently made her way to the next class.

* * *

"And Rei-chan lunged forward! I was laughing so much and Rei-chan became as red as a tomato!"

"I-It's not funny, Nagisa-kun!"

"Did Nagisa-kun get you in trouble, Rei-senpai?" Yoshima asked as she took a sip from her juice box. Rei nodded and covered his blushing face with a hand, which sent the entire team into peals of laughter.

"You think that's embarrassing, Rei-kun? Wait till I tell you about that one time Yoshima slipped at a public pool!" Yoshino exclaimed and mischief shone in her hazel eyes as her older twin rushed to cover her mouth.

The entire swim team had gathered at the school rooftop for lunch and they went on about how their days went. Gou had joined them five minutes ago and immediately scolded Nagisa when she spotted the sugary bread that he loved to buy during lunch.

"Honestly, Nagisa! Eating unhealthy foods like that sweet bread is gonna make you gain unnecessary weight!" Gou argued for the second time and frowned in disapproval, making Nagisa pout childishly. The blonde took a small bite out of the bread and saw Gou give him a nasty glare from the corner of his eye.

"Please Gou-chan! I promise I won't have anymore sweet breads after today!" Nagisa pleaded and used his best puppy eyes on her, which eventually worked on Gou.

"Fine. Just for today though. If I catch you eating that bread one more time, I'll make you do an extra five laps in practice!"

"Wahhh! You're so mean, Gou-chan!" the blonde boy groaned. Makoto let out a small laugh as he watched Nagisa eat his bread with a pout on his face. Aki began to discuss the upcoming swim meet and the events that would take place, prompting Gou to talk about their training.

"Is there going to be a relay, Aki-senpai?" Yoshino asked and the vice-captain nodded.

"That aside, we have to start practicing our exchanges today if we want to participate at the meet's relay. Sound good, girls?" Aki asked and the two second-years nodded before high-fiving one another.

"How about you, captain? You up to practice some exchanges today?"

The group turned to look at Lucy, who had been silent the entire time. Her eyes were glued to the ground and a shuddery breath escaped her lips. "Lucy-kun?" Nagisa called out and went to rest a hand on her shoulder.

"H-Hey! Lucy-kun!"

Before she knew it, Lucy blacked out and her body fell to the ground like a stone in water. Everyone's voices were murmurs in her ears and the pounding headache that had plagued her the entire day was slowly subsiding.

"Someone's get Lucy-kun's parents!"

"I'll go get a teacher!"

"Is the captain okay?!"

Everyone was panicking. They were worried about the captain and were unsure about what they should do after seeing Lucy faint.

"G-Guys...please...don't worry...about me..." Lucy murmured weakly and tried to push herself up, but someone held her in place. A hand pressed itself against her forehead and the cool touch made Lucy sigh contently.

The last thing she saw before falling asleep were the familiar deep blue eyes of Haru and his gentle voice advising her to rest.

* * *

"What do we do, Makoto-senpai?!" Nagisa asked and shook the older boy's shoulders, worry gleaming in his magenta eyes. Makoto yelped in surprise and tried to make the blonde boy stop.

"We can't just leave her like this!" Yoshino exclaimed as she paced back and forth in a straight line.

"Well we can't stay here all day either! We've got class!" Yoshima protested and the twins began to bicker as to whether or not they should stay or call the nurse's office.

"Hey! No more arguing you two!" Gou and Aki yelled in unison, rushing towards the two second years and trying to break up the fight. Yelps and curse words echoed from the rooftops, prompting other students to look towards the building and sigh.

"I'll take her home," Haru suggested and looked up to see his teammates staring at him as if he sprouted two heads. The entire team looked at one another in confusion, but Rei seemed to be deep in thought.

"You know, it doesn't seem like a bad idea to me," Rei pointed out as he re-adjusted his glasses so they were comfortable on the bridge of his nose. Aki and Makoto seemed to ponder the thought before nodding their heads in agreement. Shortly after, Nagisa and the twins, along with Gou, agreed with the idea.

"Haru-chan, you still have class though! The teachers wouldn't let you leave that easily!" Nagisa reasoned, but Haru shook his head.

"It'll be fine. Makoto will tell the teachers that Lucy and I are sick and headed home for the day."

"I guess it's worth a shot," Gou muttered and shrugged her shoulders.

The warning bell rang from the speakers and the team slowly made their way to their classes, leaving Haru and Lucy on the roof. Looping an arm behind her neck and knees, Haru lifted the captain off the ground and carefully descended down the stairs with the sleeping girl nestled comfortably in his arms.

* * *

"Nnnn..."

Haru jumped in his seat for the fifth time as he continued to watch over Lucy worriedly. She shifted underneath the covers and the mattress squeaked loudly, but the captain continued to sleep.

As he continued to watch over her, Haru tried to remember what Makoto used to do when he was sick. He had gotten Lucy to change into more comfortable clothes, which consisted of a purple tank top and white pajamas, but getting her to rest was a challenge all in itself.

Lucy had protested that she couldn't miss school and practice, but he wouldn't hear any of it. In fact, she even tried to sneak out of the house just so she could go back. However, a deadpan Haru greeted her at the doorway and carried Lucy back to her room. After that, he grabbed a chair from the desk she owned and insisted that he wouldn't leave until she fell asleep.

Slowly rising from his seat, Haru made his way to the kitchen with a towel in hand and ran the cloth under cold water. Squeezing out the excess, he shut off the faucet and returned to her bedroom, where he gently laid it on her forehead. Her brows furrowed at the foreign contact and she stirred underneath the cloth, but soon settled down.

Haru took his eyes off of her and looked around her bedroom.

Lucy's room was painted a comforting shade of blue and picture frames decorated the walls with photographed stills of her past. A shelf with all her medals, both new and old, was tucked away in the corner and Haru counted at least ten medals on display, but his attention shifted over to the two swim team jackets Lucy owned.

Hachiro's was decorated with intricate lines of turquoise and gold, the colors appearing to burst against the sea of black. Her name had been sewn onto the sleeve with white thread and the school's logo was stitched onto the chest.

As he held the jacket, Haru remembered how Hiro held Lucy's hands and the sheer discomfort she displayed on her face. Anger coursed through his body as he continued to think that while Hiro attended parties, his ex girlfriend was up at night going through intense emotional pain.

Haru had become so angry that it almost scared him. But, the boy realized it was showing how much he cared about Lucy.

Setting down the jacket, he went to check on the cloth and found Lucy sitting up on her bed with a tired look on her face. She removed the cloth from her forehead and ran her fingers through her disheveled pink hair. Her cheeks were flushed with the warmth that came from her illness and her skin looked a little pale, but she still looked breathtaking.

"I thought you would've gone back to school," Lucy muttered as she handed him the cloth and laid back down on her pillow.

"Makoto told the teachers that I had gone home for the day since I was sick," Haru explained.

"Don't you have to practice for the tournament next week?"

"Who would look after you then?"

"I can look after myself, Haru," she replied with an annoyed tone and narrowed her glassy blue eyes at him. Turning away from him, the girl sighed and hugged her pillow tightly before falling back to sleep.

"Why are you so difficult?" he mumbled as he left the room to run the cloth under cold water. Turning the tap on again, Haru quietly soaked the cloth and squeezed out the excess, but the sound of the door closing startled him out of his thoughts.

Lucy's mother, Victoria, quietly entered the kitchen with a bin containing papers tucked underneath her arm and the same tired look on her face that Lucy sported. Victoria set the bin down on the table and sighed as she saw how many papers needed to be read by her, prompting the woman to run a hand through her disheveled hair.

"Nanase-kun? What are you doing here?" Victoria asked with a gentle voice when she noticed him standing next to the sink with a cloth in his hand.

"G-Good afternoon, H-Hinukajin-san," Haru greeted nervously and bowed before Lucy's mother, startling the woman with the sudden gesture. The middle aged woman smiled kindly at the boy, but tilted her head in confusion when she saw the cloth in his hand once more.

"What is the cloth for, Haruka?"

"Lucy came to school sick this morning and decided not to tell anyone. I took her home after lunch when she fainted," he explained as his fingers fidgeted with the damp cloth.

"Oh dear. Where is Lucy?" she fretted and Haru quietly led the mother to Lucy's bedroom.

Instinctively, the mother pressed a hand against her daughter's forehead and gestured for Haru to hand her the cloth. Lucy stirred once more and opened her eyes to see Victoria frowning down at her.

"M-Mom?"

"Lucy? Why didn't you tell your father that you weren't feeling well?"

"I'm fine, mom. It's just a tiny cold," Lucy muttered, flipping over to the other side and therefore ending the conversation. The mother sighed in annoyance at her daughter's behaviour and turned to look at Haru with sadness in her violet eyes.

"Would you like some tea, Nanase-kun?" Victoria offered, her lips curling into a tiny smile when he nodded. Following the woman to the kitchen, Haru took a seat at the dining table and watched as Victoria poured a cup of tea for him. A comfortable silence hung above them both as they drank the tea and Haru could see Victoria studying him intently with her gentle, yet sharp violet eyes.

"You know. Lucy is quite stubborn when it comes to allowing someone to take care of her. Even to us," the mother murmured sadly as she set her tea down.

"I guess she sort of takes after her father since he's fairly stubborn himself, but unlike him, Lucy pushes everyone away."

"Has she always been like this?" Haru asked and the mother shook her head.

"However, Lucy's changed a lot since she joined the swim team. She's been talking a whole lot more to us and she's even making friends, which is something she doesn't like to do since Lucy tends to be a recluse most of the time. It's a nice change of pace for Lucy and us," Victoria added, letting out a content sigh as she continued to watch the boy with her observant eyes.

A loud ring interrupted the silence and the forty-one year old woman reached into her pocket for her phone. Seeing that it was a call from her office, Victoria quietly asked for Haru to check on Lucy before excusing herself from the table.

* * *

A soft knock at the door interrupted Lucy from her reading and she looked up from her book to see Haru entering her room gently with a cup of tea in his hand.

"Where's my mom?" Lucy asked tiredly as she sat up on her bed and lifted the cup from the nightstand, pressing the glass to her lips and taking a sip of the steaming liquid. Setting the cup back down, the captain sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead when another headache plagued her mind.

"How long have you had them?" Haru wondered as he fidgeted with his fingers after a heavy silence hung in the atmosphere.

"How long have I had what?" she questioned.

"How long have you been having those headaches?" the dark haired boy repeated, letting out a sigh when the young woman fell silent and didn't answer.

"Three days ago. It started when I was working on a report for biology at midnight and then it worsened as the days kept going. It happens to my parents sometimes so I just brushed it off as something normal and then continued to work. Never thought it would be this bad," Lucy murmured and exhaled softly.

Taking a look at her desk, Haru spotted at least three textbooks stacked on top of one another, a list of assignments she needed to hand in before next week, the training regimen Gou had given them two weeks ago, and the flyer for the upcoming swim meet next weekend.

From what he could tell, Lucy was basically stressing herself out and working herself to death.

"You need to stop this," Haru pointed out.

"I need to stop what?" Lucy asked and then followed his gaze, which prompted her to let out another tired sigh when she saw the disappointed look in Haru's eyes.

"Look, I know you're trying to look after me because I passed out this afternoon, but I really do need to get those assignments done, Haru. I couldn't get them done on time with practice and I'm always so tired when I come home that I forget about the assignment and end up sleeping. I also need to study the regimen and prep the girls before next weekend or else-" Lucy started and Haru could see that she was starting to panic, prompting him to place a reassuring hand on her own in order to calm the distraught girl down.

"Calm down, Lucy. We have at least a week or so until the meet, so we've got plenty of time to practice. Besides, if you need help with your work...I can help you with that. I'm done all those assignments and I've been helping Makoto with his work when he got stuck," Haru explained and brushed some stray locks of her hair away from her face, causing a faint flush to appear on Lucy's face at the gesture and his heart to skip at least two beats.

"W-What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't be pushing yourself to the point where you might get sick or hurt. It's not the best idea in the world and I bet your parents would probably say the same thing. So promise me that you won't ever do that again and ask for help when you need it?" he asked, placing his hand once more on her own and squeezing it when Lucy didn't answer.

"Alright alright. You win this time," Lucy answered, chuckling quietly when she saw the young man show a hint of a triumphant grin when she admitted defeat.

Catching a glimpse at the clock on her wall, Lucy could feel her heart sink when she realized it was nearly six in the evening and learning that Haru would have to go home soon.

"You might want to head home soon. It's getting late," she pointed out and Haru turned to check the clock, disappointed at the thought of having to leave Lucy and return to his quiet house. Nodding gently, the dark haired boy turned to leave and stopped when Lucy called out his name.

"Thanks for taking care of me, Haru," Lucy murmured and jumped when Haru had engulfed her in a tight embrace, which she returned happily and almost eagerly.

Once he realized what he had done, Haru pulled away and blushed so hard to the point where his cheeks became as red as Rei's glasses, causing the captain to chuckle at the sight and smile fondly at him.

"No problem, captain," Haru responded before stepping out of her room and shutting the door carefully behind him.

Bidding Victoria goodbye, the freestyle swimmer couldn't contain the grin that curled at his lips when flashes of Lucy's smile appeared in his mind and the fluttering in his heart when he thought back to the moment where he hugged Lucy.

It was a memory Haru would come to treasure and the boy smiled when he realized that he had made Lucy smile too. It may seem small to others, but making Lucy smile was what Haru wanted to do.

He couldn't wait to see her tomorrow.

* * *

Once Haru left, Lucy sank back into her pillows as she replayed that moment over and over again in her head as silence overtook her room.

Her eyes fell upon the hand which Haru squeezed and Lucy felt her heart flutter when she remembered the warmth of his hand as it held her much smaller one . Taking a deep breath, the captain calmed herself down when her excitement got too much and it only worsened when she remembered the embrace Haru had engulfed her in.

For the first time in her life, she was looking forward to seeing someone again and the idea of seeing Haru at swim practice gave her enough motivation to get some rest.

However, that excitement was immediately crushed when her phone chimed with a text and Lucy checked to see a text from Hiro Tamaki, whom she hadn't heard from in three weeks.

Narrowing her cobalt blue eyes at the screen, the captain read his message.

 _To: Lucy Hinukajin_

 _From: Hiro Tamaki_

 _Hey Lucy! I'm in town tomorrow evening and was wondering if we could do our little date at that time since I won't be around for two weeks because of an upcoming meet in the city. Let me know if you can make it! :)_

Lucy couldn't help but scoff at his text and began to type out her response.

 _To: Hiro Tamaki_

 _From: Lucy Hinukajin_

 _I probably could make it after swim practice. How about 7 pm at the restaurant near the beach?_

 _P.S: Don't call it a date. It's just dinner and nothing more._

 _P.P.S.: I want you to delete my number after tomorrow. Are we clear on that?_

Once she sent her reply, Lucy went to lay back down on her bed and cursed silently when her phone dinged with a text moments after she had sent her response.

 _To: Lucy Hinukajin_

 _From: Hiro Tamaki_

 _Ok ok. I'll meet you there tomorrow night! Dress in something nice! :)_

Lucy, once again, scoffed at his response.

 _To: Hiro Tamaki_

 _From: Lucy Hinukajin_

 _Will do. Goodnight Hiro._

Sending out her reply and letting out a deep sigh, Lucy crawled underneath her covers and settled in, resting her weary head on the fluffy pillow she owned and shutting off the light in her room, blanketing the room in darkness while the faint twinkling of stars provided some light for her.

As her eyes began to flutter shut, Lucy's mind thought of only one thing and she scowled at the mere thought of having dinner with her ex, but exhaled when the captain realized she would never have to deal with Hiro again after this.

 _'Well. Tomorrow's going to be a pain,'_ Lucy thought before her eyelids fluttered shut and she surrendered herself to sleep.


End file.
